Youtube--'Walk That Bass'
Chord Voicing Rules
1、When playing a chord, take account of :
1)Chord itself - notes that make up the chord
2)Chord voicing - the order of and interval between notes
2、The Chord
1)You must play the Guide Tones (3rd & 7th)
2)You do NOT have to play the root or 5th
3)You can add tensions (9th, 11th, 13th)
4)So you can play a CMaj7, CMaj9#11, CMaj13, or CMaj13#11 (using only 'available tensions')
5)So CMaj13 can be voiced:E B D A
6)The more extended and altered the chord is, the more tension you will create with that chord.
3、The Voicing
1)The voicing of a chord relates to the intervals between the notes. You can alter the tension of the chord by altering the voicing of the chord, even if you're playing the same notes.
2)Voicing a chord with consonant intervals will give you a consonant sounding chord
3)Voicing a chord with dissonant intervals will give you a dissonant sounding chord.
A--Consonant Intervals--A
A-\Perfect 5th\-\Perfect 4th\-\Major 3rd\-\Minor 3rd\
B-\Tritone\-----\Semitone\----\Tone\------\Flat 9\
B--Dissonant Intervals--B
4、C Maj13#11
1)Consonant Voicing - Tertian Harmony (stacked 3rds)
--C Maj13#11 = C E G B D F# A--
2)Dissonant Voicing - Secundal Harmony (Tone Cluster)
--C Maj13#11 = C D E F# G A B--
3)Quartal Harmony
--C Maj13#11 = B E A D G C F#--
4)Other Voicing
--C Maj13#11 = D G B C F# A E--
(B+C-Semitone\ C+F#= Tritone)
5、Generic Chord Voicing Rules
1)Avoid using too many 3rds (too boring)
2)Using 4ths and tritones creates a more 'open' and 'harmonically ambiguous' sound
3)Play wider intervals at the bottom
4)Play dissonant intervals in the middle
5)Play a consonant interval like a 3rd or 4th between the two highest notes
6)Avoid 'doubling' notes within the chords, except the top note which can be doubled
7)Keep all intervals smaller than a perfect 5th, except the interval between the two bottom notes that can be wider
6、Other
1)By altering the chord and the voicing you can create and resolve tension while playing a chord progression
2)For example, a II-V-I in C:
--Dm7 = Low Tension
--G7 = High Tension
--C Maj7 = Low Tension
3)I will also differentiate between:
--Harmonic tension = Tension that results from the type of chord you are playing (Maj, min, Dom, altered, etc.)
--Voicing Tension = Tension that results from the voicing or intervals between notes
Basic Chord ---\Dm7\ -- \G7\ -- \CMaj7\
High Tension-- \Dm13\ --\G13#9\ --\CMaj7#11\
no Resolution
Notes ------\D-F-B-C\--\E-F-A#-B\--\E-F#-B-C\
Harmonic Tension --\Low\--\High\--\Low\
Voicing Tension -- \High\--\High\--\High\
High Tension -- \Dm13\ --\G13#9\ -- \C6\
with Resolution
Notes ------\D-F-B-C\--\E-F-A#-B\--\E-G-A-C\
Harmonic Tension --\Low\--\High\--\Low\
Voicing Tension --\High\--\High\--\Low\
7、When playing a chord progreesion, take account of:
1)Chord itself - notes that make up the chord
2)Chord voicing - the order of and interval between notes
3)Voice leading - transition between chords (in future will say sth)