Voicing a chord on
the piano
"Voicing" has nothing to do with using your voice -- it is a
technical term that refers to the way in which notes of a
chord are arranged.
For example, you know the "C"
chord is made up of 3 notes -- C, E, and G -- correct? But
those 3 notes can be arranged in a variety of ways. We could
have C on the bottom of the chord, or we could have E on the
bottom of the chord, or we could have G on the bottom of the
chord. Those are inversions, and we dealt with those a couple
issues ago.
But we could also space the
notes differently. We could have C on the bottom of the chord,
skip the E, and have G come next, with E on top. That is
called "open voicing" because there is an "opening" between
the various notes of the chord. Chords that don't have any
openings are called "closed".
So we have closed voicing and
open voicing.
But when we combine closed and
open voicing with inversions, we get more possibilities, don't
we?
For example, if we put E on the
bottom of the chord, skip G, then use C, with the G on top, we
get the 1st inversion of the C chord in open voicing.
If we put G on the bottom of the
chord, skip the C, then use E, with the C on top, we get the
2nd inversion of the C chord in open voicing.
As you play
your piano, LISTEN for the difference in sounds between open-voiced chords
and closed-voice chords. Listen, too, for the difference
between inverted chords in open and closed voicing. You can
get a lot of different sounds out of one chord if you use
voicing creatively!
Now transpose
whatever songs you are playing into all other keys, and watch the chords change as you
do. Listen, too, so you will be developing your ear while you
build your understanding.
In futures issues we'll take up specialized types of voicing,
such as "locked chord" voicing, "voicing in 4ths", and other
types used in various musical styles.
Next issue we'll
take a look at the "blues" and see what makes it tick.
Meanwhile, if you
like the sounds you can get from voicing in various ways,
then you'll want to pick up our
"How To Voice a Chord For a 'Pro Sound"
"How To Voice
a Chord For a 'Pro Sound"
To "voice" means to arrange the notes of
a chord on the keyboard so you get the sound you want. Since
there are scores of ways to voice a chord, you need to know
the principles involved. For example, you can imply any 7th
chord by using just 2 notes -- do you know which 2? You can
play extended chords such as 11ths and 13ths all in one hand,
even if your hand is small, if you know how. Learn all about
voicing. |
