Shell voicings: root, 3rd & 7th
Intermediate
Play the most economical jazz voicings —just root, 3rd and 7th— and comp a I-vi-ii-V with three notes.
Pattern
Transpose
Drag up/down over the instrument to zoom the range
Tablature
How to do it
- A shell voicing drops the 5th and keeps the essentials: the root (in the bass) and the two colour tones, the 3rd and the 7th.
- Play the progression in the TAB: C maj7, A m7, D m7 and G7 (a I-vi-ii-V in C).
- Notice you barely move your fingers between chords: the colour tones travel very little.
Tips
- Shells sound great with a bass or band already playing the root and 5th: no need to double them.
Metronome
Target tempo: 72 BPM (Range 40–120)
Metronome
72 BPM
Tuner
You are playing:
—-15c
+15c
-50c0+50c
Turn on the tuner to check your intonation while you practise (bends, vibrato…).