Sunday, September 19, 2010

Learn Piano Online - Piano Voicings

Learn Piano Online

The exploration of piano voicings is sure to lead to more piano creativity. If you've been bound by the idea of playing triads (three-note chords) and 7th chords as you originally learned them ( C E G, G B D F, etc), the very act of getting your feet wet with piano voicings will have you hooked within a short amount of time. You have the innate desire to be creative, so it stands to reason that once exposed to playing the chords you have already learned in a more creative fashion, you'll want to learn more and more!

So, what is a piano voicing? Sometimes referred to as piano chord voicings or jazz piano voicings, the meaning is the same (jazz piano voicings simply those voicings that are apt to be used in the jazz idiom)... a voicing, in simple terms, is an arrangement of chord tones that goes beyond the scope of basic root, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion, and 3rd inversion positions. It can involve simply spacing the notes in a different manner and it also can involve the elimination of certain tones.

For example, the following could be thought of as a piano voicing for G7 (more accurately, G13):

E
B
F
(F being the lowest tone, just below middle C)

Notice that the root G is not even included in this voicing. Yet this is a very common piano voicing used by jazz pianists time and time again. Usually, the root would be played by a bass player if playing in the context of a group... or the root could be played in the bass area of the piano... sometimes, however, it is not played at all!

As you learn piano online and investigate the many lessons available, the study of piano voicings is one that is sure to keep you busy (and having fun) for a very long time. Indeed, immersing yourself in such a study is conducive to your developing a unique piano style of your own.

No comments:

Post a Comment