Shell Chords
In previous lessons we established that in Jazz we don’t need to play every single note in a chord. Specifically, it’s possible to omit the less important notes (root & 5th) to create a Shell Chord.
The basic Shell Chord consists of only the 3rd and 7th (Guide Tones) of the chord. The Guide Tones are the two notes that determine the quality of the chord (Maj, min, V7, etc). These two notes are the bare minimum you need to play are chord.
Three Note Voicings
An important part of being a competent jazz pianists is being able to voice chords with two hands. Three Note Voicings are a good way of beginning to do this. If we take the basic Shell Chord and play it with our right hand. And then add a root note in our left hand, we have a ‘Three Note Voicing’.
- Left Hand: Plays Root Note
- Right Hand: Plays 3rd and 7th
Playing the root notes clearly spells out the tonality of each chord in the progression.
Four Note Voicings
It is then possible to an extra notes and alterations in your right hand to create a Four Note Voicing. You can add:
- The melody note (as I show in the video);
- a 5th;
- an available tension.
For example, instead of just playing a plain old G7 as:
- Left Hand: G
- Right Hand: F B
You could play a G7♭9 (the♭9 being an available tension over a V7 chord) as:
- Left Hand: G
- Right Hand: F A♭ B
Below is a II-V-I in the key of C Major that demonstrates this.
| Chord | Left Hand | Right Hand |
|---|---|---|
| Dm7 | D | F-C F-A-C |
| G7 | G | F-B F-A♭-B |
| CMaj7 | C | E-B D-E-G-B |
Or as Sheet Music:
Make sure you are comfortable with these simple Three Note Voicings before you move on to more the complex two handed chord voicings in the next few lessons.
