Jazz Piano Style Guitar Chord Voicings

[JonnyPac]

Hey y'all, I'm always looking for nice piano-style guitar grips... Here's some I made charts of. If you know any cool ones, please TAB them out here. My faves are Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Herbie and the like...

Jazz Piano Style Guitar Voicings in Music Theory, Guitar Lessons and Song Writing Tools Forum

[JohnW400]

Look for threads by Jeff Brent. He has a link to rootless voicings that was put together by Joe B (can't remember his last name)

It's very well done and a lot of the voicings are the same ones that Bill Evans used

If you're into Bill E, then why don't you get some of his transcriptions? A lot of his chord choices are playable on guitar. Get the ones from TRO publishing as they were taken of the record. As a matter of fact, in the book that has The Two Lonely People", it's taken from the CD " The Bill Evans Album". Bills first chorus is transcribed as well. I think the book was $9

[thenoviceguitarist]

Thanks JP thats some good stuff. The quartal harmony stuff sounds great, and the way some of those small grips set, they can be played diatonically relatively easily. I think the secret is being able to "hear" them diatonically over a static change. I like those bigger "Ted Greenesque" voicings too, but they do take some work though haha.

[gersdal]

Originally Posted by JohnW400

Look for threads by Jeff Brent. He has a link to rootless voicings that was put together by Joe B (can't remember his last name)

Joe Bianco is his name.

These have been posted earlier, but ... From Jeff Brent's web-pages:

"II-V-I Tutor" major progression voicings (pdf - 11 pgs)
"At-a-Glance" printable pdf of the major ii-V-I rooted and rootless voicings for guitar.
Jeff Brent - Joe Bianco - Gerhard Ersdal (©2010)

"II-V-I Tutor" minor progression voicings (pdf -13 pgs)
"At-a-Glance" printable pdf of the minor ii-V-i rooted and rootless voicings for guitar.
Jeff Brent - Joe Bianco - Gerhard Ersdal (©2010)

Rootless Major ii-V-I Tutor
Derived from the same material as above. The chord components' degrees are mapped onto an interactive fretboard. The V7alt buttons allow for instantaneous comparative analysis. Quite simply the most intuitive exposition of chord relationships I've ever seen. Special thanks to Joe Bianco for this.

[JonnyPac]

I learned my Evans voicings from printed transcriptions and The Harmony of Bill Evans books and I focused on the juicy LH notes that I could grip. I also saw the Jeff Brent stuff a few years ago and looked them over. I feel like inverting some of the tones loses some of the piano quality that I prefer, but they are nice nonetheless. The Jazz Piano Book had some nice ones too, though many are outright impossible in real-time comping, etc.

Thanks for the posts. I really dig this stuff.

[basile865]

I love this stuff too. I was listening to McCoy Tyner lastnight realizing what a total amazing player he is. I always loved his sound but I tried to dig into what he was doing with guitar in hand and its just nearly overwhelming really. Beautiful.

Basically the advantage the piano has on many of the chords I like is that it can have sometimes 2 groups of notes within the chord that are only a half step apart which adds a density and kind of a pretty dissonance. So I just try and make chords that have at least 1 pair of notes that are a half step apart. Really gotta stretch for it but its worth it. Then in some voicings you can do that but also incorporate an open string to further add that kind of pretty dissonance. Thats about the best we can do as guitarists unless you also want to hit a chord then take your right hand and tap on some notes.......or use a modified tuning.

[markf]

no offence meant here;

the idea that a guitar can be used to play piano chords, makes no sense to me at all.

the piano has 88 keys, that if you want, you can have sound all at the same time.


it has a damper pedal.

the pianist without a damper, can still play ten notes at once, a number of octaves apart.

This idea, it's the moby dick of guitar. trying to emulate the piano.

It can't be done. not even remotely similar potentials of these two instruments.

[JonnyPac]

I don't pretend to think that the guitar can rival the piano at all. I just like to use some simple LH chords that are doable.

[basile865]

@markf

Thats the whole beauty of it! The challenge.

Of course it can't be done to the same extent fully, but hell, the boundaries are meant to be pushed and broken.

For all we know an entire school of guitar may be developed that uses a totally different tuning which would allow us to play many more piano-like voicings.

Remember when Andy McKee came out? Slapping on the acoustic guitar body for rhythm, using open tunings, tapping the rhythm chords with one hand and playing the lead melody with the other. I don't know if he single handedly sparked that approach to the instrument but now theres a whole school of players that play like that. I had never heard anyone play like that before, and even though its not of interest enough to me to chase that method myself, I still think its wonderful to see people push the envelop for new music and methods.

Gotta keep pushing! Thats whats fun these days

[basile865]

I think also those that aren't afraid to embrace technology will be able to achieve it.

They might build 10 string guitars just to be able to do the same voicing, and theyll likely make a pedal that acts like a damper pedal on a piano.

Electro Harmonix makes a pedal called the freeze which allows you to play a chord and put your foot on the button and it will "freeze" it and just sustain it all day long.

I dont think its a far stretch that there will be a pedal in the future that allows us to hit a note and freeze that and hit another and freeze that and continue through until theres a big lush chord coming out.

[markf]

Originally Posted by basile865

I think also those that aren't afraid to embrace technology will be able to achieve it.

They might build 10 string guitars just to be able to do the same voicing, and theyll likely make a pedal that acts like a damper pedal on a piano.

Electro Harmonix makes a pedal called the freeze which allows you to play a chord and put your foot on the button and it will "freeze" it and just sustain it all day long.

I dont think its a far stretch that there will be a pedal in the future that allows us to hit a note and freeze that and hit another and freeze that and continue through until theres a big lush chord coming out.

you're right, good attitude.

I solved the problem of damper pedal by getting a guitar synth. a roland.

I Play a synth chord, depress foot pedal, you have the same thing as a piano damper chord. sustaining chord to solo over, or to make voicings you can't do with the guitar.

works great.

I tried the freeze pedal, and didn't like it. but the guitar synth (roland gr 20)

is really nice.

thanks for the reply, you're right about this.