Quartal voicings part 1 modern jazz guitar chords theory background. In this video, youll learn to take 3 inversions of quartal voicings through a scale, amounting to learning 21 coolsounding jazz. The word voicings refers to the way in which a chord is spread out. Quartal harmony a jazz blues guitar lesson musicians. How to download modern jazz voicings pdf files to my device. Experiment with this in your own comping and chord melody playing. But almost always used to describe 7note scale structures, usually the major scale or the minor scale, but sometimes other modes as well. Quartal chord voicings on bass guitar bass practice. This type of harmony is used by pianists and guitarists alike and utilizes voicings that can be used.
Quartal harmony mcoy tyner approach jazz guitar online. Nononsense guide to jazz harmony and beyond this post hopes to answer all basic questions relating to harmony and theory in one place. Learning quartal voicings guitar is therefore a somewhat basic skill, if. The melody is harmonized with threenote modal fourth chords. These are great additional resources to get and study too. Quartal harmony a jazz blues guitar lesson using quartal harmony on the guitar is a great way to tap into the modern jazz chords in this video i am going to show you how you can use quartal voicings on guitar to get a more modern jazz blues. As always you can download the examples as a pdf here. Its because of the open sound created by the fourth interval. This is the way that diatonic strictly speaking, any structure comprised of seventh notes. Quartal chord voicings on bass guitar bass practice diary 26th february 2019.
In part one, i pointed out that a 7th chord contains four notes. In that module we learned that chords are built up in thirds. First, he comps for, and interacts with, other players as they solo. Instead of stacking in 3rds as is most common in western harmony, were going to do it in fourths. Jazz guitarists cited as using chord voicings using quartal harmony include johnny smith, tal farlow, chuck wayne, barney kessel, joe pass, jimmy raney, wes montgomery, however all in a traditional manner, as major 9th, th and minor 11th chords floyd 2004, 4 an octave and fourth equals an 11th. Quartal chords how to use them almost anywhere in music. Click download file button or copy modern jazz voicings pdf url which shown in textarea when you clicked file title, and paste it into your browsers address bar. This set of voicings can really help refresh your chord playing and comping. For example, to build a c major chord, well go from c to e then from e to g. Quartal comping voicings for jazz piano piano comping chords.
Two handed voicings are used when other players solo and during. Common jazz chord voicings fundamental changes music. I stumbled into the quartal harmony idea after first hearing mccoy tyner comping and soloing on equinox while looking for jazz bluesblues ideas sounds and concepts i wanted to learn i have been transcribing coltranes solo and especially trying to come to grips with tyners comping and soloing and how it describes and creates a sonic. The following lessons introduce some of the basics of jazz guitar chords. The 3note shells describe the harmony perfectly because they contain the essentials of the chord. The so what chord is a modern sounding voicing often used as an alternative to quartal voicings. Jazz chord essentials 3 part quartal harmony jens larsen. You can get creative, and rhythmically displace the halfnote rhythm around the bar to create variety. Compositions by miles davis and john coltrane such as impressions and so what showcased chord voicings derived from quartal harmony. In the following section, well provide the first voicing and how to. Quartal chords can be used as 1chords, as 4chords, as passing chords almost anywhere. In previous lessons in the pianogroove course, we have covered upper structure voicings, and also voicings built from 4th intervals such as the so what voicing.
Piano chord voicings for jazz combo the pianist has a few functions in a jazz combo. We established that, while chords are traditionally constructed in intervals of 3rds, it is also. Christiansen quartal harmony modern jazz comping and voicings. In addition to the composerarranger usasge, quartal harmonic language in a jazz context was ushered in largely by the comping, improvising, and compositions of pianists bill evans, mccoy tyner, herbie hancock. Quartals can also be thought of as voicings for extended chords 9ths, 11ths, ths and so therefore can be used as ways of voicing triads when you want to use triads with their tensions extended notes. Compositions by miles davis and john coltrane such as impressions and so what showcased chord voicings. Quartal voicings tertiary harmony was a large part of jazz up until the 1950s and 1960s when a new style emerged. If i play d g c f you night play a bb and we create a bb69 or you might play an eb and we create an ebmaj. Jazz piano voicings and comping techniques to your students.
Quartal harmony is a jazz term which means harmonising chords in intervals of a fourth. The chords that w e use are for the most part derived from stacks of thirds as i described in these lessons. A good explanation of this is in the short booklet. First going over all the voicings available for each of the chords in the blues chord progression. Quartal harmony has been used in some twentiethcentury music and in jazz by mccoy tyner of the john coltrane quartet in the 1960s. This dvd and chart by corey christiansen is an excellent introduction to the world of quartal harmony and modal jazz. Quartal harmony and intervallic soloing mikes master. Quartal harmony chords in fourths quartal harmony for guitar useful chords for modal situations. The phrase chord voicings refers to the way the notes of a chord are arranged, both in musical notation and on our instrument. Lets look at a quartal voicing that can be used for both major and minor chords.
If file is multipart dont forget to check all parts before downloading. To conclude this series on jazz comping we will look at a chord melody arrangement using this approach with quartal shapes. Feb 06, 2020 the innovators of moderns jazz and fusion, like miles davis, herbie hankcock, joe zawinul all used quartal chords in jazz. Quartal harmony can really spice up ones comping and soloing bringing them into the modern realm. Download your quartal harmony for jazz guitar pdf here. Being at least familiar with comping on iivi using shells. Although pianists and arrangers are free to use their own voicings and by doing so. Quartal chord voicings use 4ths rather than 3rds to construct a chord. Using quartal harmony on the guitar is a great way to tap in to the modern jazz chords. Jazz guitar harmony and the basics of shell voicing guitar. The stacks of fourths are especially connected to way mccoy tyner. Comping shell voicings on 3 standard tunes of your choice.
Pdf modern jazz voicings download full pdf book download. How to play shell voicings for jazz guitar 3note chords. This book contains a study and breakdown of harmony in 4ths. Great modern chord voicings using fourths heres an easy. The introduction of quartal harmony in modern jazz began in the 1960s. But there is such a thing as quartal harmony, chords built. Quintal chords, created by 5th intervals, have a similar effect. Being wellversed in quartal shapes and appropriate fingering and picking techniques can help intervallic soloing come out naturally in ones playing. Quartal jazz piano voicings music instruction ebook by. The quartal voicings are created by stacking intervals in 4ths perfect or augmented.
Suppose we had a melody note of c that was to be harmonized with with a c major 7th or major 6th chord. Modern jazz voicings download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Quartal voicings on guitar jazz guitar quartal chords youtube. This book explores advanced, modern jazz, and bebop concepts and techniques, including music theory, scales, modes, chord voicings, arpeggios, soloing, and comping concepts. Chords in fourths quartal harmony guitar lesson jazz guitar. Quartal jazz piano voicings music instruction by paul. Jan 24, 2003 this dvd and chart by corey christiansen is an excellent introduction to the world of quartal harmony and modal jazz. May 01, 2004 this book contains a study and breakdown of harmony in 4ths. Jazz piano, voicings, jazz harmony, comping, scales, etc. They just float while comping as stand alone entities. Common jazz chord voicings fundamental changes music book.
Complete book of harmony theory voicing ebook download. Quartal harmony is created when sonorities or chords are built using. Download modern jazz voicings pdf files tradownload. By playing just these notes, the ears are able to pickup the harmonic context fully. The openness of the chords, along with the tension they can create, was very modern to my ear and drew me into learning more.
Quartal harmony for guitar useful chords for modal situations. The basic approach is to take the third and sixth voicings aka fourway close and drop the second from top tone down an octave. Youll play two halfnotes rhythms in each measure, thus the term two. A detailed and advanced guitar lesson on jazz guitar harmony, covering shell voicing, jazz lead tactics and plenty more, all with tabs and notation. I havent done a video about bass chord voicings for a while.
This type of harmony is used by pianists and guitarists alike and utilizes voicings that can be used in many settings. Its a great alternative to the usual jazz chords cycles and progressions. We have already briefly discussed quartal harmony in the lesson on the so what chord. Quartal harmony deals with guitar chord shapes and chord voicings that are built in 4ths rather than 3rds. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Fourth voicings, also known as quartal voicings, are more of a modern sound in jazz and were really explored thoroughly by mccoy tyner as well as chick corea in the 60s. Therefore, he needs two different types of voicings. As an analogy, shell voicings for jazz guitarists are akin to learning your c, d, e, g and f open chords when first starting playing guitar. As mentioned, we build the basic triads using thirds. In this lesson, explore quartal chord voicings for jazz guitar. More than 170 music examples and complete solos in the styles of many jazz greats are used to place all concepts into a practical musical context. Quartal harmony is a modern and fresh way to approach the harmony that makes you sound more as a pianist or as an orchestra instead of a standard guitar player.
This second example uses a technique that mccoy tyner loves to use in his playing, as well as the great jazz guitarist joe diorio among others the idea behind this riff is that you play the quartal chord for dm7, then you play the same shape up a minor 3rd interval, creating tension in your line that is then resolved down a halfstep to the em7 quartal chord over cmaj7. We established that, while chords are traditionally constructed in intervals of 3rds, it is also possible to build chord up in intervals of 4ths. The precision and rigid structure of tertiary harmony was opened up and replaced by the ambiguity of quartal harmony. Assume that in a musical setting youre not the only person contributing notes to the chord. They really are just a pentatonic scale played every other note. Many older musicians call this playing in two, or will say lets play in two for the first chorus. Using the position above for a iivi in fmajor, quartal shapes can be inserted to make this progression a bit more modern sounding and hip. The innovators of moderns jazz and fusion, like miles davis, herbie hankcock, joe zawinul all used quartal chords in jazz. Quartal jazz piano voicings by paul rinzler instructional. You can download a pdf and read the article on my blog via this.
Quartal voicings on guitar jazz guitar quartal chords. Its far superior to the berklee press dvd jazz guitar techniques. To help get you started with applying quartal chords to your jazz guitar comping and chordsoloing ideas, here are three examples of how you would apply these. Compositions by miles davis and john coltrane such as impressions and so what showcased chord voicings derived from. Practice 20a practice drop 2 voicings in any key, with any extension, in any iivi or iiv pattern, and in any tune you have practiced previously. Bill evans, barry harris, oscar peterson, kenny barron. This portion of the melody is pure dorian mode, which lends itself to diatonic parallel quartal voicings.
Pdf file is the default format to be used in most devices, specially on your pc. Such quartal harmony gives a much more ambiguous and modern sound. They sound great and can be played in a number of ways. An arranging technique used when voicing for four horns. In this lesson, well be discussing the fundamentals of these chords and. Voicings free jazz originals for varioussized bands by. This is the sound of quartal harmony harmony built from 4th intervals. This book is a complete guide to the captivating and complex chord voicings prevalent in modern jazz. Each note is sometimes called a voice, especially when talking about the movement of the inner voices of a chord progression. This is a very comprehensive text that combines theory, harmony and voicing material with emphasis placed on voice leading. Jazz guitar voicings and inversions the phrase chord voicings refers to the way the notes of a chord are arranged, both in musical notation and on our instrument.
For example, you could play a cmaj7 chord as c e g b with each note a third above the previous called tertian harmony and all the notes within the range of an octave called close harmony or block chords. Quartal jazz piano voicings music instruction ebook by paul. Christiansen introduces the student to the concept of quartal harmony from the ground up, laying a strong foundation right from the beginning. Although this books primary focus is on fournote chord voicings on the middle strings of the guitar, much of the knowledge conveyed here can be appreciated and used by all jazz musicians, not only guitarists. They do not have a clear tonal centre and do not have to be resolved to any particular chord.
Quartal harmony is derived from stacks of 4ths giving other note groupings as seen in example 1. Quartal harmony is harmony generated by the interval of a fourth. Quartal harmony of c major scale starting from the i degree. Quartal harmony on a jazz blues modern jazz guitar lesson. Andy laverne has taken his decades of experience as a first call jazz pianist and satisfied a long awaited need by creating this comprehensive compendium of. So, this week ive decided to practice some of my favourite jazz chords, quartal chord voicings. The purpose of thisbook is to show guitarists how to function in an area of harmony mostly dominated by keyboard players. In the video i break down each example a bit more and add some more info on how i made them and how i see them. Dec 26, 2014 quartal voicings are chord structures that are built using perfect 4th intervals. I chose to apply the voicings to a ii valt i in c because it it is an easy key and a vert common progression. Looking for quartal harmony jazz bluesblues applications. Jazz chord voicings the 9 different types you should know.
Mel bay this book contains a study and breakdown of harmony in 4ths. However, though it can be ambiguous, quartal harmony is. Impressions john coltrane mccoy tyner piano comping arranged for guitar. As the title of this post implies, quartal chords are really easy to use. In addition to the composerarranger usasge, quartal harmonic language in a jazz context was ushered. Its also fine to use it for a chord melody arrangement and, of course, for the main thing in jazz. O expand your jazz horizons and literature base o relieve fear associated with the word jazz o not intended, however, to address soloing or improvising techniquessorry. In this lesson, well look at the principles of constructing quartal harmony and how to incorporate these voicings into your playing. We have already discussed jazz chords in a previous module. Drop 2 voicings bebop, hard bop, contemporary jazz. Quartal voicings, different to quartal harmony, i think, is much more applicable. But there is such a thing as quartal harmony, chords built in fourths.
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