Rhythm Section 101:

Jazz Piano 101

Basic Piano Voicings

In this lesson, Danny Bauer explains the foundational steps of reading and understanding chord symbols when playing piano. This is an essential skill for both educators and students; teachers can use this approach to accompany their ensemble and students can begin to develop their skills beyond written out piano parts when performing a song.

When beginning to read chord symbols, the 3rd and 7th of each chord are the most important to focus on, as these notes define whether a chord is major, minor or dominant.

Tips:

• Help your student understand the difference between the 3rd and 7th notes of a major 7th (major 3rd and 7th), minor 7th (flat 3rd and 7th) and dominant 7th chord (major 3rd, flat 7th).

• When learning to play these chords, play the roots of each chord in the left hand, and the 3rd and 7th of each chord in the right hand. As Danny explains, you may play your right hand with either the 3rd OR the 7th on the bottom of the voicing.

• Use the attached .pdf “Playing 3rds and 7ths on the Piano” to learn how to play 3rds and 7ths over the progression to the 12-bar blues, then try to play the chords along with the attached B-Flat Blues playalong track.

• As we will learn in the lesson “Adding rhythm to Piano Voicings”, you can improvise with the rhythm of your chords to add interest and interact with fellow musicians.

Want to send this video to your students? Use this link: https://youtu.be/3miw3F88MlI