Is it ok to reduce any chord type to 3 notes?

[Irez87]

Hey Chris '77

This sounds like Jim Hall on Bossa Antigua:

xx353x
xx343x
xx243x

I would end it with

xx532x
xx521x
x042xx

[Irez87]

Or this:

With a samba feel:

xx353x
xx343x
xx243x
xx221x
xx021x
xx010x
xx965x
xx865x

[Irez87]

"Hope that makes some sense. Don't step on the bassist's toes - they don't like it and we have enough trouble getting them to do gigs as it is. ;-)"

Even harder if you live in NYC. Those damn subways! Grrrr!

[christianm77]

Yeah I love Jim Hall's comping. I have never sat down and studied his voicings in detail but the sound of it is probably in my ears somewhere.

Dave Cliff said he primarily uses 3 note voicings... His style is not a million miles away from Jim's.

[KirkP]

Is it ok to reduce any chord type to 3 notes?

From an amateur, so to be taken with a grain of salt:

When playing with a pianist, especially just jamming from real book, I'd suggest playing no more than three notes at a time. So it's always ok to reduce chords to three notes!

Since you are playing from a real book, that implies you don't know the tunes very well, so it's best to keep the comping simple. The piano probably has the roots and fifths covered in the left-hand, so focus on thirds and sevenths when you're comping. The thirds and sevenths provide the tension and release, giving a sense of forward motion.

Extensions (9ths and beyond) add color. As you get more comfortable with the tune add a few extensions where your ear tells you to. Ignore the realbook's extensions and trust your ear and knowledge of harmony.

A lot depends on what the piano is doing at the time. When the piano is comping (covering the 3rds and 7ths) and you're not soloing it's best to either lay out or play only extensions and/or fills. If the pianist has claimed those too, you might just need to lay out till it's your turn to solo.

(I guess I'm restating several of Christianm77's points earlier in this thread.)

[Irez87]

Stolen Voicings from Moments:

BE CAREFUL WITH THESE STRETCHES

(don't practice them too long)

This sounds close to the upper 3 notes of Ahmad Jamal's comp on Stolen Moments:

With the C and G pedal point (let the bass player have it)

x.x.x.7.4.3
x.x.x.8.6.5
x.x.x.10.8.6
x.x.x.8.6.5

[bobsguitars09]

to my ears.. the 1 and the 7 in a major 7 chord seem to be enough. even more than the 3 and 7?

[GuyBoden]

to my ears.. the 1 and the 7 in a major 7 chord seem to be enough. even more than the 3 and 7?

But, the 3rd and 7th in a Major 7 chord make a nice sounding fifth.

[KirkP]

to my ears.. the 1 and the 7 in a major 7 chord seem to be enough. even more than the 3 and 7?

It's the third that makes it a major. Unless someone is playing thirds and sevenths the progression loses it's forward drive. There are times one might want major/minor ambiguity, but not most of the time.

This guide tone lesson might help you.

[Irez87]

But, the 3rd and 7th in a Major 7 chord make a nice sounding fifth.

That's the goal. To hear the 3rds that the pianist is playing so you can play different, more open voiced chords. I think, when you get to a point in your playing (I hope I will be there in the next decade), that you should play what is right for the sound of the situation and not got on auto-pilot with your collection of cool voicinigs. That's a goal, maybe a lofty one, but it's a good goal to aspire to.