Chord Voicings

It’s A Chord: So What?

On Monday, March 2, 1959, pianist Bill Evans sat in with Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums), Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), and Julius “Cannonball” Adderley to record the first track So What on Miles Davis’ legendary jazz album Kind Of Blue. This is one of the most recognizable jazz tunes ever. The …

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Cocktail Piano Lessons For Beginners

Cocktail Piano Lesson #1: Use What You Know Home hobbyists to well-trained classical pianists have shown an interest in cocktail piano lessons. It’s no wonder why a pianist of any skill level and background would want to acquire cocktail piano skills. You never know when the opportunity may arise. A local restaurant may have the …

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Unlock The Secrets To Stunning Cocktail Piano Chord Voicings

Piano Chord Voicings For those of you not familiar with chord voicings, it is the way a musician arranges/organizes and plays chords on a piano in order to create interesting sounds. In this post, we will explain why chord voicings add vibrancy and pizzazz to your ballads, how learning one chord voicing at a time …

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Chord Voicings: What Are They?

Enhance Your Style With Chord Voicings I felt inspired to write this because there are a good number of cocktail pianists who enjoy success utilizing just basic triads and 7th chord structures. There’s a lot to be said for a performer who can be creative using simplicity. That said, the use of chord voicings  can …

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Cocktail Piano Intros: The Diatonic Surf

Cocktail Piano Intros: In A Pinch? Creating cocktail piano intros is an art in itself. The more you have in your “bag of tricks” the better. Sure, it pays to practice and know, at least to a point, how your arrangement will go. However, sometimes you might find yourself in a spot where you get …

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Splashing More Color Into A Simple Chord Voicing

Previously, we acknowledged that playing less really can be more by simply playing the root, 3, and 7. Using the same example shown in that video excerpt of ProProach, harmonizing the first note of Erroll Garner’s Misty could look like this: In this case, the melody note is D. That D also happens to be …

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Transpose Your Chords & Voicings

You want to transpose the chords and voicings you learn to other keys. The more command you have over those keys, the more confidence you ultimately have. Want a sure-fire way to gain that command? Make transposing those chords and voicings you’re learning to other keys something you love to do. The act of transposing …

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Piano Chord Voicings: Little Things Mean A Lot

When it comes to harmonizing your melodies in a tasteful fashion, it makes sense to vary the density of the chords and voicings that you use. By doing so, you automatically gain the respect of your listener’s ears. Perhaps you can relate to a beautiful painting that had captured your attention at one time or …

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