Piano Left Hand Voicings Script

1/ " Bebop " Voicings

Bebop voicings are mostly built on basic intervals within the given chord, e.g.
root-seventh (1-7) or root-third (1-3). Although this often gives identical
voicings for different chords (e.g. C7 & Cmi7), they still perfectly suit
complex bebop lines of the right hand.
In more modern styles, these voicings allow a certain liberty of choosing
modes in the right hand (e.g. a voicing of C-B§ could express both C ionian
& C ionian b3 modes )

Cma7 C7 C6
? 4 ˙˙ ˙˙ b˙
˙ ˙˙ ˙
˙ ˙˙
4
(1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-3) (1-6) (1-3)

Cmi^ Cmi7 Cmi6

? ˙˙ b ˙˙
b˙
˙ b ˙˙ ˙
˙ b ˙˙
(1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-3) (1-6) (1-3)

Cmi7b5 Cº7 Cma+

? b ˙˙ b ˙˙
∫˙
˙ b ˙˙
˙
˙
#˙
˙
(1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-#5)

A lot of different cadences are possible. The basic solutions are to be practiced in all 12 keys
(free range choice between C1 & F3 approximately) :
major :
Dmi7 G7 Cma7 Dmi7 G7 Cma7
˙ ˙˙ w
? ˙ w ˙˙ ˙ w
w
˙
(1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-3)
minor :
Dmi7b5 G7 Cmi^ Dmi7b5 G7 Cma7
? ˙˙ ˙˙ w
w ˙˙ ˙ bw
w
˙
(1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-3) (1-7) (1-3)
2
2/ " Traditional" (1-3-5-7) Voicings
These are voicings built on root, third, fifth & seventh. Piano players used these sounds
mostly in the swing era & later in the hard bop of the 50's, but we can find them also
in the stride piano style.

< œ>
Rule : all voicings must fit in this range :

~ ~~ ~~ w
? < > ~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~ ~
bœ nw ~ ~~ ~ ~
(Notes in parentheses are for extreme situations only)

If a voicing doesn't fit in this range, it has to be inverted. Therefore, in the following exemples,
always two versions will be given : C (1-3-5-7, regular) & G (5-7-1-3, inverted).

Cma7 C7 Gma7 G7
? w
w
w
w
bw
w
w
w # ww
w
w ww
w
w
(1-3-5-7) (1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3) (5-7-1-3)

C6 G6
? ww w
w
w ww
w
(1-3-5-6) (5-6-1-3)

Cmi^ Cmi7 Gmi^ Gmi7

? bw
w
w
w
bw
bw
w
w #b ww
w
w
b ww
w
w
(1-3-5-7) (1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3) (5-7-1-3)

Cmi6 Gmi6
? b ww bw
w
w ww
w
(1-3-5-7) (5-6-1-3)
 Cmi7b5 Gmi7b5 Cº7 Gº7 3

? bbb w
w
w
w
b ww
b w w bb∫ w
w
w
w
bw
b ww
w
(1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3) (1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3)

Cma+ Gma+
? #w
w
w
w # w
# ww
w
(1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3)

Cadences with traditional voicings, to be practiced in the 12 keys :

Major :
Dmi7
˙ G7 Cma7 Ami7
˙ D7
˙ Gma7
? ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙˙ w
w
w
w
˙˙˙ #˙˙˙ # ww
w
w
(1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3) (1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3) (1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3)

"regular", will work From C to F major "inverted", will work From G¨ to B major
(that is : C, D¨, D, E¨, E & F major) (that is : G¨, G, A¨, A, B¨ & B major)

Minor :
Dmi7b5 G7 Cmi6 Ami7b5 D7 Gmi6
? b ˙˙˙˙ ˙˙˙˙ w
b w
ww ˙˙˙
b ˙ #˙˙˙˙ bw
ww
w
(1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3) (1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3) (1-3-5-7) (5-7-1-3)

"regular", will work From C to F minor "inverted", will work From F# to B minor
(that is : C, C#, D, E¨, E & F minor) (that is : F#, G, G#, A, B¨ & B minor)
4
3/ " Early Bill Evans - Wynton Kelly " (3-5-7-9) Voicings
These voicings have no root ; they are built on third, fifth & seventh & ninth (basicly one
"floor" higher than previous voicings on the extensions hierarchy). We can find them in
Bill Evans' early style (50's), in Wynton Kelly's playing, but some of these voicings
are still regularly played by piano players.

Rule : all voicings must fit in this range :

~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ w <# œ >
~
< bœ >
? ~~~~~ ~ ~ ~
nw ~~~~

(Notes in parentheses are for extreme situations only)

If a voicing doesn't fit in this range, it has to be inverted. Therefore, in the following
exemples, always two versions will be given : C (3-5-7-9, regular) & G (7-9-3-5, inverted).
Some of the voicings work in both regular & inverted forms.
Note that chords with non-perfect fifth (mi7b5, º7, ma+) don't have new versions. Use the
traditional 1-3-5-7 voicings instead.

Cma7
w C7
w Gma7
w G7
w
? w
w
w
bw
w
w # ww
w ww
w
(3-5-7-9) (3-5-7-9) (7-9-3-5) (7-9-3-5)

C6
w G6
w
? ww
w ww
w
(3-5-6-9) (6-9-3-5)

Cmi^
w Cmi7 Gmi^ Gmi7
? bw
w bw
w # w
b ww b ww
w
w bw
w w w
(3-5-7-9) (3-5-7-9) (7-9-3-5) (7-9-3-5)

Cmi6
w Gmi6
? b ww b ww
w
w w
(3-5-6-9) (6-9-3-5)
 5
Cadences with " Early Bill Evans - Wynton Kelly " voicings, to be practiced in the 12 keys
(note the alteration of b9 in the minor cadence's dominant) :

Major :

Dmi7 G7 Cma7 Ami7 D7 Gma7

˙˙˙ ˙˙˙˙ w
w ˙˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ w
? ˙ w
w #˙ # w
ww
(3-5-7-9) (7-9-3-5) (3-5-7-9) (7-9-3-5) (3-5-7-9) (7-9-3-5)

"regular", will work From B¨ to E¨ major "inverted", will work From E to A major
(that is : B¨, B, C, D¨, D & E¨ major) (that is : E, F, G¨, G, A¨ & A major)

Minor :

Dmi7b5 G7b9 Cmi6 Ami7b5 D7b9 Gmi6

b ˙˙
? b ˙˙˙˙ b ˙˙˙˙ b w
n ww
w ˙˙˙
b ˙ #˙˙ b ww
n w
w

(1-3-5-7) (7-9-3-5) (3-5-6-9) (5-7-1-3) (3-5-7-9) (6-9-3-5)

"regular", will work From B to E minor "inverted", will work From F to B¨ minor
(that is, B, C, C#, D, E¨ & E minor) (that is, F, F#, G, G#, A & B¨ minor)
6 3/ " Bill Evans modified " Voicings
These voicings are based on the "early B. Evans - W. Kelly" voicing family. They are typical
in Bill Evans' playing from the end of 50's on. In some voicings, some notes can be moved
following a given rule. The results are coloured voicings ; often usable for multiply
harmonic situations (that is, a voicing can express two or more chords at the same
time) & therefore still very popular in main-stream jazz piano playing.

<# œ >
Rule : all voicings must fit in this range :
~ ~ ~ w
? < bœ > nw ~~~~ ~~~~~

(Notes in parentheses are for extreme situations only)

If a voicing doesn't fit in this range, it has to be inverted. Therefore, in the following
exemples, always two versions will be given : C (regular) & G (inverted). In case of the
Cmi7b5 & the Gmi7b5 chord, regular & inverted forms have to be permutated due to the
range limitation. Some of the voicings work in both regular & inverted forms or can
be applied for playing two or more harmonies.

Cma7
w
7> 6
w
5> 6
? w ww ww
w
modifications :
w
w w w
(original 3-5-7-9)

Gma7
w
7> 6
w
5> 6
? # ww ww
w # w
w
modifications :
w w w
(original 7-9-3-5)

C7
w
5 > 13
?bw
w
modification :
b ww
w
w w
(original 3-5-7-9)

G7
ww
5 > 13
w
? ww w
modification :
w w
(original 7-9-3-5)
 Cmi^
w
7> 6
w w
5> 6 7

? bw b w ww
modifications :
w
w ww b w
(original 3-5-7-9)

Gmi^
w
7> 6
w
5> 6
? #b ww
w
modifications :
b ww
w # w
b ww
w
(original 7-9-3-5)

no modification for the mi7 chord.

apparition of the
Gmi7b5
w b ww
3 > 11 7-9-3-5 voicing
bw w bb ww
? w
b w
modifications :
w w w
(original 1-3-5-7)

apparition of the
Cmi7b5 w
3 > 11 3-5-7-9 voicing
b ww
w b bw
b b w
b w w
modifications :
? w
b w bww
(original 5-7-1-3)

the diminished chord can have any of its notes raised by a whole tone, in any inversion.

b5 > b13
bb w
b3 > 11
Cº7 º7 > §7 1>9
n w nw
w w
w
? bb∫ w
w bbnw
w bb ww #w w
modifications :
w
w w
w w w
(original 1-3-5-7)

Gma+ 3 > #11

## w
w ### ww
w
? w
modification :
w w
(original 1-3-5-7)
8
The most common Cadences with " Bill Evans modified " voicings, to be practiced in the 12 keys
(note the alterations of #9 & b13 in the minor cadence's dominant) :

Major :

Dmi7 G7 Cma7 Ami7 D7 Gma7

˙˙ ˙ w ˙˙˙˙ ˙˙
? ˙˙ ˙˙˙ ww
w ˙
# ˙ ww
w
w
(3-5-7-9) (7-9-3-13) (3-5-6-9) (7-9-3-5) (3-13-7-9) (6-9-3-5)

"regular", will work From B¨ to E¨ major "inverted", will work From E to A major
(that is : B¨, B, C, D¨, D & E¨ major) (that is : E, F, G¨, G, A¨ & A major)

Minor :
Dmi7b5 G7alt Cmi6 Ami7b5 D7alt Gmi6
˙ # b˙˙˙˙ w ˙˙ b ˙˙˙ b ww
w
? b ˙˙˙ b w
n ww b ˙˙ # ˙ n w
(1-11-5-7) (7-9-3-13) (3-5-6-9) (5-7-1-11) (3-13-7-9) (6-9-3-5)

"regular", will work From B to E minor "inverted", will work From F to B¨ minor
(that is, B, C, C#, D, E¨ & E minor) (that is, F, F#, G, G#, A & B¨ minor)

Note :

- many other cadences can exist with this family of voicings. The above exemples
show only the most popular solutions.

- Sus4 chords are to be interpreted as a minor 7 voicing of a root a perfect 4th below
(e.g. G7 Sus4 = Dmi7)

- altered dominant chords are always identical to regular dominants a triton below or
above (e.g. C7alt = F#7 non alt)
 9

4/ Specific Solutions
A/ Herbie Hancock's left hand
Most of the time, Hancock uses voicings of the previous two families, the "early Bill Evans /
Wyton Kelly" & the "Bill Evans Modified" voicings. In some cases, he added new sounds
or different usages to these families. His most typical sounds are usually built
around the presence of the 11th (4) in the voicing.

A1 / Modifications in the major cadence

Dmi7
w w
5 > 11
? w
w ww
modification :
w w
(original 3-5-7-9)

G7
w # ww
9 > #11
w
? ww
modification :
w w
(original 7-9-3-13)

Cma7
w
5 > #11
w
? w # ww
modification :
w
w w
(original 3-5-7-9)

This leads to hancock's very characteristic sounding major cadence :

Dmi7
˙ G7 Cma7
? ˙˙˙ # ˙˙˙˙ w
# ww
w
10

A2 / Modifications in the minor cadence

sometimes inverted :
Dmi7b5
ww w
3 > 11 w
w
?bw b ww
w bw
w
modification :
w
(original 3-5-7-9)

G7alt #9 > 1
bw bw
? w
# w ww
modification :
w w
(original 7-9-3-13)

Cmi^
w
6 > #11
w
? b ww w
either no modification or :
w b ww
#
(original 3-6-7-9)

This leads to hancock's very characteristic sounding minor cadence :

Dmi7b5 G7alt Cmi^ or Cmi^#11

˙˙ b ˙˙ w w
? ˙˙
b ˙˙ b w
ww b# ww
w
 11
A3 / in case of correct inversion (in order to stay in the left hand's normal range),
the obtained voicings sound somewhat heavy, with wrong voice leading & not
leaving sufficient acoustic place for the right hand's solo lines :

Ami7 # D7
w Gma7
ww # w # w
? ww ww # ww
w

A4 / Therefore, in order to obtain suitable & usable inverted voicings, two speciail solutions
were developed.

Solution 1 :

a certain "fragmentation" happens to the chord ; the result is mostly a 3-voice harmony,
keeping the priority a/ on the 11th of the chord but eliminating the note which creates
the "overweight" in the sound, b/ on a more correct voice leading.

Ami7
ww
w modification :
5 > 11, no 9
ww
? w w
(original 7-9-3-5)

D7
w 6 > #11, no 9
? # ww ## ww
modification :
w w
(original 3-13-7-9)

Gma7
w
5 > #11, no 9
? # ww ## ww
modification :
w w
(original 7-9-3-6)

This fragmentational logic leads to the following "inverted" major cadence :

Ami7
˙ D7 Gma7
? ˙˙ ## ˙˙˙ ## ww
w
12
Solution 2 :

If inversions are not regular, a similar sound to the originals can be developed by
creating a 2nd - based dissonance in the voicing.

Irregular inversion of the major cadence :

Ami7
ww
w modification : w
9 > 13
w
? w # ww
(original 7-9-3-5)

D7
w w
13 > #11
w w
? # ww
modification :
## ww
(original 3-13-7-9)

5 > #11
Gma7
w
9> 7
w # w
9>7
? ww # ww # ww
modifications :
w w w
(original 6-9-3-5)

Inverted major cadence with the irregular inversions :

Ami7 D7 Gma7 Gma7#11

˙˙ ˙ w
? # ˙˙ # ˙˙˙ # ww
w or
## ww
w
w
 13

Irregular inversion of the minor cadence :

Ami7b5
b ww
3 > 11
b ww w
& position change
w modification :
w
? w
(original 7-9-3-5)

D7
w b13w> 1
w
? #b ww # ww
modification :
w
(original 3-13-7-9)

5 > #11
9>6
Gmi^
w w
7>6
? #b ww
w
modifications :
# ww
b w b# ww
w
w
(original 7-9-3-5)

Inverted major cadence with the irregular inversions :

Ami7b5 D7alt Gmi^ Gmi^#11

b ˙˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ bw
w b# ww
? # ˙ #ww or w
w
14
B/ McCoy Tyner's left hand
Tyner's charcteristic interval for building voicings is definitely the 4th. Most of his
voicings are a combination of two 4ths (therefore, 3-voice voicings). In modal context,
it means that practically any construction based on 4ths of the given scale can
potentially become an appropriate voicing. E.G., D dorian with all diatonic
possibilities :

œ œœ œœ œœ
? œœ œ œ œ
& œœ œœ œœ
œ œ œ

The same principal is applied to all other chords, that is, multiple choices are constantly
at tyner's disposal.
In case of quick tonal changes, playing out multiple choices sounds somewhat overcharged,
because of the tempo. Here's a basic Tyner-type major cadence, using exclusively voicings
based on 4ths :

Dmi7 G7 Cma7
˙
? ˙˙ bb ˙˙˙ w
w
w

Note the root & the missing 3rd in Dmi7, the alterations of #9 & b13 in spite of the
missing 3rd in G7.

The minor version of this cadence is practically identical, only the Cmi6 chord will be
changed.

Dmi7b5 G7alt Cmi6

˙ bb ˙˙˙ w
? ˙˙ bw
w
 15

C/ Chick Corea's left hand

Beside using a lot of Bill Evans- & McCoy Tyner-type voicings, Corea developed a different
& huge family of voicing, based on 'grips" (Ron Miller's terminology) ; that is, on modal
structures with a constant architecture which can express one or several chords at
the same time.
Exemple 1 : the "Phrygian Grip" (within perfect 4th), containing 1, b2 & 4

Cphryg
? b ww
w
(1-b2-4)

In a natural major system, two Phrygian Grips can be found :

& œ œ œ œ œ ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙

œ œ œ
In a melodic minor system, only one Phrygian Grip can be found :

& œ œ œ œ
œ œ bœ œ b ˙˙˙
By associating the given chords with modes (e.g. Dmi 7 = D Dorian) & the modes with parent
scales (D Dorian mode = C major key), the Phrygian Grips which can express the given chord
are the followings :

Dmi 7 = D Dorian = C major

& ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙

G7 alt = G altered = Ab melodic minor

b ˙
& bb ˙˙

Cma7 = C lydian = G major

& ˙˙ #˙˙˙
˙
16
This gives 4 different basic solutions to express a C major cadence :

solution 1 : solution 2 :

Dmi7 G7alt Cma7 Dmi7 G7alt Cma7

bbb ˙˙˙ bbb ˙˙˙ nnn ww
w
˙
? ˙˙ # ww
w ˙
˙˙
solution 3 : solution 4 :
Dmi7 G7alt Cma7 Dmi7 G7alt Cma7
˙˙˙ bbb ˙˙˙ bbb ˙˙˙ ww
w
? # ww
w ˙
˙˙

Dmi7
G7 Cma7
special solution (with D¨7sus4 substituting G7) :
? ˙˙ b ˙˙˙
˙ b # ww
w

Ä
(substitution by sub V sus4 = Db7 sus4)

Exemple 2 : Solutions with other structures

- with sus2 grip : - with sus4 grip :

Dmi7 G7 Cma7 Ami7 D7 Gma7

˙ bb b˙˙˙ w
ww ˙˙˙ bbb ˙˙˙ ww
w
? ˙˙
Ä Ä
(substitution by sub V sus4 = Db7 sus4) (substitution by sub V sus4 = Ab7 sus4)
note the presence of 7 in the dominant 7th chord (due to substitution)

- with Phrygian Grip (within perfect 5th), containing 1, b2 & 5

Ami7 D7
˙ Gma7
? n ˙˙˙ b ˙˙ # ww
# w

Ä Ä Ä
(Ami aeolian) (D7 altered) (Gma lydian)