Triad voicings

As discussed in Chapter 2, a voicing is a specific choice of notes to interpret the chord(s) in question. The simplest
voicing choice for the blues progression is to use major triads, built from the root of each chord, as in the following
example: £
Note the following points about the above voicing example:
• The chord symbols shown are based on a C blues progression except that only triad instead of seventh chord
symbols are shown (e.g., C instead of C7, F instead of F7, etc.) This reflects the fact that these basic triad
voicings do not include the 7th of the chord. This type of triad voicing is often found in simpler (i.e., pop- and
rock-blues) styles.
• The above voicings use inversions of triads in the right hand, to create smooth voice leading (i.e., avoiding
unnecessary interval skips) from one chord to the next. This type of right-hand voice leading is important in
most contemporary piano styles, including the blues.
Once we have made a decision how to “voice” the chords in a blues progression, we can then apply rhythmic patterns
in the left and right hands, to create an authentic comping (or accompaniment) pattern. We will first do this using
left-hand pattern la together with the above triad voicings in the right hand, as shown on the following page:

Note that the right-hand triad part uses rhythmic anticipations within a two-measure phrase. In the first mea sure, the
triad lands on beat 1 and then halfway through beat 2 (or the “and of 2”), anticipating beat 3. In the second measure,
the triad lands on the “and of 1” anticipating beat 2, and then lands on beat 3. This type of right-hand rhythmic
phrasing is very common in blues, pop, and rock styles.
Hopefully when practicing this example, your left hand will be getting more automatic (from your practice in
Chapter 3!) so you can focus on getting these right-hand rhythms smooth and “in the pocket.” You can also use the
CD example for “hands separate” practice (to play just the right-hand part above, turn down the right channel so that
you just hear the left-hand part and the click track on the CD).