As we’ve learned, seventh chords consist of the root, third, fifth, and seventh. The third and seventh are the most essential elements of any seventh chord. Using these two tones, we’re able to imply a sound that implies much more than two notes. When they’re the right two notes, played with great time and a full tone, the music produced can approach absolute perfection.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- play guide tone voicings for the most common types of seventh chords
- groove along with Medeski, Martin & Wood, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, and others
- play drop-2 and drop-3 voicings with more flexibility
There is always a lot to be learned by watching live performances or videos of great guitarists playing. Often, the best players not only sound terrific, but they also make it look easy. They make a couple of notes in a chord sound huge.
One way they do this is by using guide tones, those chord tones that most define a chord's particular sound: the 3, 7, and altered tones of the chord. After you've worked with guide tone shapes, you'll see that finding shapes with fewer notes that imply larger sounds isn't only easier; it often sounds better within the context of a band. We'll start with Root, 7, and 3 shapes.
Practice Tip
These activities will require you to play many types of chords and chord shapes. The best way to approach this is to first download the pdf and practice each chord separately, then move from chord to chord slowly, gradually increasing the tempo until you can play along with the MP3 download. Give yourself time to work up to tempo, and remember that it's okay if you don't get it right the first time!
Recap
This time around, rather than adding notes to the voicings, we’ve taken notes away. In the right circumstances, two or three notes can be just what the doctor ordered. When the number of players in a band is large, a couple of notes—placed exactly where they should be range-wise and rhythmically—can be the best texture you can provide. The smaller voicings take just as much concentration as the larger models; I think you’ll agree.
