A Chord A Day

Dylan Kay Lesson #5 - II V I in F Major

2011-08-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

[From Dylan Kay]
Here are two examples of the superimpositions we have been studying. You may want to record the bass notes G, C and F to play these superimposed chords over, or even better get someone else to play the bass notes while you play the chords.

Also, try just playing the top 3 notes of each voicing…

Try and use the other voicings from the previous lessons to come up with some more II V I superimpositions of your own. You could also experiment with playing all the given voicings on strings 6,5,3,2.

[From Az]
And this concludes our five part lesson series featuring British guitarist-educator Dylan Kay! Stay tuned next week for new lessons from me!

If you're just joining us here at A Chord A Day, here are links to the other four lessons in this five-part series by Mr. Kay:

Lesson #1: Drop 2 + 4 voicings
Lesson #2: BbMaj7
Lesson #3: Emaj7b5
Lesson #4 : Am7

Enjoy!

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Dylan Kay Lesson #4 - Drop 2&4 voicings for Am7

2011-08-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

[From Dylan Kay]
Step three is to look at Drop 2 & 4 voicings for Am7. These will be superimposed over the Famj7 chord to create an Fmaj9 sound. (Am7 is A, C, E, G – the 3, 5, 7, 9 of the Fmaj7 chord).

Related links: Dylan Kay's Official Website

Previous: Lesson #3 - Emaj7b5
Next: Lesson #5 - II V I in F Major

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Dylan Kay Lesson #3: Drop 2&4 voicings for Emaj7b5

2011-08-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

[From Dylan Kay]
Step two is to look at Drop 2 & 4 voicings for Emaj7b5. These will be superimposed over the C7 chord to create a C7#5#9 sound. (Emaj7b5 contains the notes E, G#, Bb, D# – these are the 3, #5, b7, #9 of the C7 chord).

Related links: Dylan Kay's Official Website

Previous : Lesson #2 - BbMaj7
Next : Lesson #4 - Am7

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Dylan Kay Lesson #2: Drop 2&4 Voicings for BbMaj7

2011-08-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

[From Dylan Kay]
By the end of this series of lessons, we will have some great-sounding extended voicings for a II V I in the key of F major (Gm7 - C7 - Fmaj7).
** Warning – some of these voicings involve quite large stretches – be careful! **

Step one is to look at Drop 2 & 4 voicings for Bbmaj7. These will be superimposed over the Gm7 chord to create a Gm9 sound. (This works because the notes of Bbmaj7 are Bb, D, F, A – these are the b3, 5, b7 and 9 of the Gm chord).

Related links: Dylan Kay's Official Website

Yesterday : Lesson #1 - Drop 2 & 4 Voicings
Tomorrow : Lesson #3 - EMaj7b5

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Dylan Kay Lesson #1: Drop 2&4 Voicings

2011-08-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

[From Az]
This week, I'm very happy to present a series of lesson by British guitarist-educator Dylan Kay. I talked to Dylan about a month ago about the possibility of him contributing a few lessons and was happy when he sent me a five-part lesson on Drop 2 & 4 voicings! I'm a fan of these sounds myself so when I received them, I too started practicing them! I hope you will enjoy the lessons too!

[From Dylan Kay]
The objective of this short series of lessons is to derive some great-sounding extended voicings for a II V I in the key of F major (Gm7 - C7 - Fmaj7). We are going to superimpose Drop 2 & 4 voicings to do this.

So first of all, “what’s a Drop 2 & 4 voicing?” Well, these are found by taking close-voiced inversions and dropping the 2nd and 4th notes from the top by an octave. (Similar to constructing Drop 2 voicings).

Shown above are root position and first inversion voicings for a Cmaj7 chord. Check out the notation to see how the Drop 2 & 4 voicings come from close voicings. You will notice you end up with 4 notes spread across 5 strings, “split” in the middle.

Related links: Dylan Kay's Official Website

Tomorrow : Lesson #2 - BbMaj7

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5 Ways to Practice A Chord A Day!

2011-07-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today, I've decided to share five ways you can practice the chords in this blog and the ones you discover too! Most of these will essentially create a week or more of practice ideas from a single A Chord A Day lesson. Here they are:

1. Play the voicing in all twelve keys

Some voicings might be difficult (or impossible) because of the use of open strings or the stretches involved in fretting the chord. Should this be the case, try playing a simplified version of the chord by omitting one or more notes. Sometimes, the same voicing might be playable in a different key by using a different fingering. Keep an open mind and experiment!

2. Arpeggiate the chord

A chords sound different when arpeggiated differently, other moods might take over. Try different right hand fingerstyle patterns and textures!

3. Put it in a chord progression/song

Do you have a favorite chord progression? Try putting the voicing of the day into that context and find other chords that would voice-lead well into and out from the voicing of choice. If you have a favorite song, try using the same voicing for the chord type everytime it appears in the song, regardless of key!

4. Write a song

Sometimes a chord can invoke an entire song! Try using your new voicing in a song of your own. This is a great way to practice it as well as keep it in your long-term chord vocabulary!

5. Combine different days together

Pick two or three random days from #1-#88 (The first series of A Chord A Day) and see whether you can make up a chord progression, line or any musical idea that uses two or more of the voicings in one context! This can be both fun and challenging. I'm going to do this right after this!!

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #9: Rhythms (combination)

2011-07-23T03:22:00.000-07:00

For today's lesson, I've listed four comping rhythms that use one attack on the beat and another attack on an offbeat. Example E1 and E2 are start on beat one followed by a syncopated rhythmic attack. In example F1 and F2, I did the opposite and played an offbeat rhythmic attack first.

Try playing each of these rhythms and then come up with your own rhythms (with two attacks per measure). I would recommend writing around ten to twenty different rhythms (some just on the off beats, some just on the beat and some in combination like the examples above). After writing them, play all of them and choose your favorite rhythms to practice.

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #8: Rhythms (off the beat)

2011-07-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today's A Chord A Day lesson continues yesterday study of different rhythms for comping. Here, all the examples are off the beat, i.e. syncopated rhythms. These are trickier so my advice is to practice one rhythm at a time, perhaps alternating between one of these examples and another from the Blues Comping #7 so that you don't lose the beat. If you're ready for a challenge, pick one rhythm from this lesson and keep that as the rhythm throughout a chorus of the blues. Play with a metronome or backing track so that you won't turn the time around accidentally since the rhythms are all syncopated.

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #7: Rhythms (on the beat)

2011-07-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Today's lesson is the first one touching on comping rhythms that we can use to practice material from Blues Comping #1-6. For this first example, I've chosen rhythms that fall on the beat. Example A1 is the basic comping rhythm on beats one and three. Example A2 is a displaced version of A1 with the rhythmic attacks falling on beat two and four. Example B1 is another rhythm falling on beats one and two. Example B2, B3 and B4 are displacements of the B1 moving the rhythm one beat at a time. B2 starts on beat two, B3 on beat three and B4 starts on beat four though now it appears like a new rhythm since the longer rhythmic attack is on beat one.

Practice suggestions: Pick one of the rhythms and play the entire blues chorus (from Blues Comping #4 to #6) with that one rhythm. Alternatively, you can write a combination of the rhythms as a rhythmic etude. Since there are six rhythms here, use each rhythm twice to create a twelve measure rhythm etude. You can also practice material from Blues Comping #1-3 with these rhythms to develop more flexibility with the material.

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #6: Chorus #1 (measures 9 - 12)

2011-07-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

To conclude Chorus #1 of the Blues Comping lesson series, here's last four measures of a twelve bar Jazz Blues form. Remember to play the voicings cleanly and connect them smoothly. Again, I've played the chords as written first followed by a version with comping rhythms the way I would play them in a performance context. After learning this example, connect Blues Comping #4 to #6 together. Have fun and if you like to get deeper into the voicings, write a second chorus of comping to complement the lesson.

In the next lesson, we'll look at the rhythmic aspect of comping!

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #5: Chorus #1 (measures 5 - 8)

2011-07-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

For today's lesson, we'll focus on the middle four measures of the twelve bar Jazz Blues progression. In a basic Blues progression, measures five and six usually stay on the IV7 chord but a very common variation is to insert a #IVo7 passing chord to lead back into the I7 usually in the form of I7/5 (a second inversion I7 chord) just like the example here.

I've used the same Drop-2 diminished voicing that was introduced in Blues Comping #3. However, here the chord functions as a diminished chord as opposed to the alternative function of being a rootless Dom7(b9) voicing (as it appears in measure eight).

After memorizing this example, play Blues Comping #4 and Blues Comping #5 back to back to hear how the first eight measures of this first full chorus example sounds like. Experiment comping with different rhythms, articulation, note duration and space.

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #4: Chorus #1 (measures 1 - 4)

2011-07-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today's example consist of the first four measure of a Jazz Blues progression. The voicings here are a combination of the I7 and IV7 voicings in Blues Comping #1 as well as II-V progression in Eb using voicings from Blues Comping #2.
In the audio example, I first played them as written so you can hear the voicings and voiceleading. The second time, I played them with different rhythms as I would in a performance context. Play, memorize the voicings and afterwards, experiment playing the voicings with different rhythms.

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #3: Drop-2 Voicings for the V7(b9)/II and related II-7(b5)

2011-07-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

In the third installment of Blues Comping, we're looking at two chords that really adds more Jazz flavor into the Blues progression. In this context, the G7(b9) functions as a secondary dominant that leads into the II-7. The voicing here is a rootless voicing which makes it possible for the chord to also be viewed simply as a Drop-2 diminished 7th voicing.

In the next few lessons, we'll start combining all the voicings we've looked at into complete Jazz Blues choruses. To prepare for this, make sure you practice the voicings as much as possible so that it becomes comfortable. We'll also be playing the same voicings in different keys in future examples, so get a head start by doing that now.

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #2: Drop-2 Voicings for the II-7 and V7

2011-07-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

In the second lesson installment for our Blues Comping lesson this week, here are the four voiceled inversions for the II-7 and V7 in the key of Bb. For this lesson, I've even included the chord diagrams (so you can also see how the chord shapes relate to one another visually) in addition to our standard notation and tablature!

Practice playing all the Cmin7 and F7 inversions separately as well and in different keys! It's important to memorize these as soon as you can since future lessons will be based around alterations of these shapes.

Enjoy!

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Blues Comping #1: Drop-2 Voicings for the I7 and IV7

2011-07-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

For this week, I've decided to continue exploring Dominant Chords. Today, we're looking at one chord quality (Dominant 7th) in one voicing type (Drop-2) within the context of a Bb Jazz Blues progression! In this first installment, we're looking at all the Drop-2 inversions of Bb7 and Eb7 within the inner four strings of the guitar (A-D-G-B).

For now, play the voicings as written and get comfortable moving from voicing to voicing. Be sure of the fingering that you want to use and plan each movement so that the transition is smooth. Although I've written the example in Bb, try playing the voicings in all twelve keys to really learn it.

If you like this lesson and would like to learn more, do subscribe to the blog to be informed about new lessons as soon as I post it!

Enjoy!

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Etude #1: G7 Comping Etude

2011-07-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a special edition of A Chord A Day!

Today, I'd like to look at all the voicings we've learned in My Top Ten Favorite G7 voicings and use all of them in context. Firstly, let's review the ten voicings I've covered. Here they are:

Now, let's look at the Comping Etude I've composed to bring together all that we've learned so far. This etude uses a lot of textures and rhythms that I play when I comp but in a super-condensed way! Since I'm attempting to squeeze a lot of information in a short piece of music, the example is very busy. My suggestion is to learn it as written first and then play fragments of it in between some single-line melodic ideas. Let's have a look at it!

The form of this etude is ABBA. The first four measures acts as bookends to the main section. The rhythmic feel is predominantly in triplets, including some polyrhythmic ideas and syncopation. I played the entire etude fingerstyle but you could play it using hybrid picking or even with a pick (some great string skipping moments in the piece!)

Listen to the audio example of me playing it and then learn it slowly first before playing it up to performance tempo. If you've been practicing the voicings, this should be pretty manageable. The challenge for this piece is to connect the voicings smoothly.

After learning this, try playing the etude with your own rhythms and phrasing! For more fun, write your own short etude using the same voicings to further embed the chordal vocabulary in your playing.

Enjoy!

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Chord #108 - G7

2011-07-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

To conclude My Top Ten Favorite G7 voicings, here's a root position Drop 2 + 4 type G7 voicing. On guitar, Drop 2 voicing and Drop 3 voicings are the most commonly used, but Drop 2 + 4 can be a fresh sound since not too many guitarists use them in comping.

For the musical example, I played a line that consists of arpeggiating the today's chord of the day, a root position G Major triad, a FMaj7(b5) chord (in this context functioning as G7(9/13) (no root) and finally descending a perfect fourth interval of G to D to complete the line. This is a way fun way to combine multiple voicings in a linear fashion - something that can be an interesting way of developing lines to complement more scalar or bebop Jazz vocabulary.

Related Resources:
My Lesson (and handout) on Drop 2 Root Position Voicings for Guitar.
Video of Rick Peckham teaching: Drop 2 for guitar and Drop 3 for guitar.

Enjoy!

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Chord #107 - G7(9) no 3rd

2011-07-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

For day 9 of My Top Ten Favorite G7 voicings, I've chosen a triad over bass note voicing, also sometimes referred to as a hybrid voicing. Today's chord of the day: G7(9) no 3rd can also be called D-/G. For the musical example, I connected Dmin and Emin triads together with a slide. This phrase is typically heard in early R&B comping.

For additional practice, try comping with just Dmin and Emin triads over a G pedal. This is a great way to learn minor triad inversions! Have fun!

Related Resource: Hybrid Chords and the II-V-I Progression lesson by Az Samad

Enjoy!

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Chord #106 - G7(13)

2011-07-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Our chord of the day is a simple three-note voicing with the guide tones of the G7 chord (B - the major third of the chord and F - the flatted seventh) in the lower register and an E (the 13th) in the higher register. This is actually a great way to build voicings - keeping guide tones on the lower string sets and adding tensions on top.

Exercise idea: Comp an entire Jazz standard with just voiceled guide tones on the 4th and 5th string. On the second chorus, play the same thing with an added tension on the 2nd string. On the third chorus, add another tension on the 3rd string! Fun fun fun!

In the musical example, I played an embellished G7th arpeggio (with a Bb approach note) leading into a linear version of the voicing.

Enjoy!

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Chord #105 - G7(9/13)

2011-07-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

For our guitar chord of the day, I've selected a G7 voicing that I've heard used in so many stylistic contexts! I've heard it in Chet Atkins-Tommy Emmanuel styled solo fingerpicking pieces, Jazz chord melody solos and especially in one-chord funk vamps. In the musical example, I played a simple 16th note funk rhythm guitar example that alternates between today's chord and Chord #101 (played one octave higher).

Enjoy!

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Chord #104 - G7(9)

2011-07-05T00:53:00.000-07:00

Today's chord is what Berklee chord guru Bret Willmott calls a 9th(no fifth) type chord. For the
musical example, the line is built out of a sequence of diatonic sixths that lead into the root of the chord.

It can be really fun to create lines from mostly one interval. More exercises can be created by writing lines using intevals of sevenths, ninths and others. Write your own ideas to further explore this concept and end the line on a voicing of your choice.

Enjoy!

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Chord #103 - G7(9)no root

2011-07-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

For our chord of the day, the chord is a G7(9)no root chord just like Chord #101. It can be most readily analyzed as a Dmin6 chord though I like to view it as an inversion of B-7(b5). For the musical example, the 16th note line that flows on the first two beats leads into the B note on beat three and then the remaining notes of the voicing.

I love using open voicings as a basis for melodic ideas since it gives an opportunity for larger melodic leaps than an exclusively scalar approach.

As an exercise, try to write five different lines that resolve into this voicing or any of the voicings we've discussed. This is a great way to internalize and really get the chords into one's vocabulary.

Enjoy!

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Chord #102 - G7(9/13)

2011-07-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

Today, our G7 voicing is used in an embellished I-VI-II-V progression (or in this case, to be exact: IMaj7-V7/II-IImin7-V7). The complete chords for the example are [CMaj7 - Bb7 - A7 - Eb7 - Dmin7 - Ab7(9) - G7(9/13)]. All of the main chords (marked in bold font in this text) are approached by a sub-V Dominant chord (i.e Dominant Chord a half-step above the target chord). This is a common way to create more movement in comping.

Enjoy!

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Chord #101 - G7(9)no root

2011-07-01T03:03:00.000-07:00

Today's chord of the day is a rootless voicing for G7. In fact, it can be also viewed as a B-7(b5) or a Dmin6/B or a C#7(#5/b9) and many other enharmonic chords. When we view it from the lowest note of the voicing as a B-7(b5) it can also be viewed as a Drop-2 type voicing.

For the musical example, I started off with the Chord #99 G7(13) voicing and then followed it with a predominantly G minor pentatonic line that ends with a chromatic approach into the lowest note of the voicing.

Enjoy!

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Chord #100 - G7(9/13)

2011-06-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today's voicing includes two extensions: the 9th and 13th of G7. For the musical example, I played a bassline figure underneath the chord which is played on the second beat of the measure as a rhythmic attack.

Enjoy!

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