Jazz Piano Lesson #31: Three-Part Shell Voicing Exercise

In my previous lesson on three-part shell voicings for jazz piano (found here), we took a series of basic voicings through all twelve keys using the circle of fourths.  I've made a couple changes to the lesson to give it a bit more challenge and to "stretch" your understanding of three-part voicings (sorry about that).   The main difference is that the basic sequence of voicings is changed.  The 1-3-7 and 1-7-3 will still alternate but I've started the exercise on the opposite voicing from last time.

Instead of taking the voicings through the circle of fourths, we will now be taking them through a cycle based on minor thirds.  Each completed ii-V-I progression will now transpose up a minor third.  This means there will be four full transpositions by the end of each cycle.  Once a cycle is completed it is transposed up a half step to reach four new key centers.  There are three complete cycles in all.

One other small change is the addition of a Major 6th chord at the end of each ii-V-I.  I believe this gives the exercise a little more forward motion and also adds another option to your voicings arsenal.  Practice using these voicings on your favorite standards to further your understanding of how to incorporate them into your own playing.

As always, I really hope you enjoyed this jazz piano lesson.  If you have any questions on this lesson or previous lessons, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment below.

Video Lesson:  Part 1 Analysis  /  Part 2  Ear-Training and Performance
Scribd:  Click here for you Free .pdf of this lesson.

Thank you for considering a donation or purchase of my CD "Meditations Vol.1" to help support this website.