Chords for Four Awesome Major Chord Voicings for Piano
Tempo:
64.3 bpm
Chords used:
C
G
A
E
B
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Hey guys, welcome back to another lesson.
And in this lesson I'm going to show you four different voicings for the C major chord.
I'm going to first show you the four voicings, and then we're going to discuss them a bit,
as to why did I choose these particular four, and a few other things, and then I'm going
to play an example that will, I guess, showcase them in the right musical context.
So first of all, the voicings.
Just to make sure we are on the same page, this is the simple C major chord, C, E, and
D.
Usually it's played with a bass of C in the left hand.
So for the voicings.
The first voicing [C] is this one.
Playing a C and a G with my left hand, [A] and an A, B, D, E with my right.
[C]
Second voicing is, again, a C and a G with the left hand, and a C, D, E, G with my right.
Third voicing is a C, G, and B with my left hand, [G] and a D, E, [C] G, and B with my right.
And the fourth voicing is a C, [G] G, and D with the left, [C] and an E, B, and E with the right.
I'd like to give you one extra voicing, which is a sort of variation on the fourth, which
looks like this.
The difference here [E] is that the bass note, the lowest note, is not a [C] C, but an E.
So this is actually a C over an E chord.
So here I'm playing [E] an E, C with the left, [C] and a G, C, D, G with the right.
You can also omit the C.
That's fine.
Why did I choose these particular four voicings?
The reason is, these four voicings, while not special in themselves, represent four
different options from a very [A] closed voicing, [C] in which all of the notes are closed together.
See, they're really practically bunched up.
It's called a cluster voicing.
All the way up to a very open voicing, which all of the notes are kind of far apart of each other.
And this allows you to
Each of the chords has a different sort of mood that it sets.
It's really an artistic decision which one to use in the right context, but it's a useful
way of thinking about chords, closed versus open.
And I also have a video that discusses this same concept, but with minor chords, which
you're welcome to watch and compare to the current video.
So, a few other things I'd like to mention, talking about these chords.
First thing you do when you get a new voicing is, yes, you transpose it to all other chords.
This is the C major voicing.
It's your job to start transposing it to all of the other chords and practice.
So just [E] start descending.
[Ab] [C] [B] [A]
[G] [C] Third thing is that these are major 7 chords.
Most of them are variations on major 7, major 9 chords.
See, for example, this chord is open voicing.
If I take this B, put [B] it down here,
[C] so then [E] I take this E and put it down here, and already
have an E, what you'll see is that I'm actually [C] playing this chord.
And this chord is a C major 9.
You could also [B] play a C9, and a C9 is characterized by the fact that the 7 is dominant.
[C] This is a major 9, this is a C9.
So going back to the open voicing, if you want to play, use the same voicing for a C9
chord as it proposes a C major 9 chord, all you have to do is find where the 7 is and
lower it.
So here you have a voicing for C7 or C9.
I'm going to conclude by playing an example, which I hope will put some of the voicings in context.
I'm going to use the open voicing.
I'm going to play an ascending line.
I'm not going to play it with piano, but actually with strings.
And here's how it's going to sound.
I'm going to slightly give you an idea of what I've done after I finish playing it.
It's very short.
[D]
[C] [F] [G]
[A] [G] [C]
So what just happened?
I started with a fourth form, just a C in the fourth form.
[Dm] The next chord was a D minor, and this uses an open voicing from the video I mentioned,
which talks about [D] minor chords.
So let's call this the open minor voicing, just to make things [C] simple.
Then I played, once again, a C in an open form, and I used the variation that I taught
you, because now the bass is D.
This is F in the fourth form, [G] G, G7 in the fourth form.
So I'm actually playing this funny sounding chord, but in a much more pleasing [Am] voicing.
This is the same minor chord voicing that I used for the [Dm] D minor.
So this transposed [Am] up to A minor.
I'm just playing an A, E, B, C, D, G.
Once again, go watch the minor voicing video.
[G] And here's the fourth form, with a variation for G.
So this is the G chord, but [B] on a bass of B.
[G] And the final [C] chord was, once again, the fourth
form for C.
That's it.
I hope I've convinced you that these voicings are interesting.
And in this lesson I'm going to show you four different voicings for the C major chord.
I'm going to first show you the four voicings, and then we're going to discuss them a bit,
as to why did I choose these particular four, and a few other things, and then I'm going
to play an example that will, I guess, showcase them in the right musical context.
So first of all, the voicings.
Just to make sure we are on the same page, this is the simple C major chord, C, E, and
D.
Usually it's played with a bass of C in the left hand.
So for the voicings.
The first voicing [C] is this one.
Playing a C and a G with my left hand, [A] and an A, B, D, E with my right.
[C]
Second voicing is, again, a C and a G with the left hand, and a C, D, E, G with my right.
Third voicing is a C, G, and B with my left hand, [G] and a D, E, [C] G, and B with my right.
And the fourth voicing is a C, [G] G, and D with the left, [C] and an E, B, and E with the right.
I'd like to give you one extra voicing, which is a sort of variation on the fourth, which
looks like this.
The difference here [E] is that the bass note, the lowest note, is not a [C] C, but an E.
So this is actually a C over an E chord.
So here I'm playing [E] an E, C with the left, [C] and a G, C, D, G with the right.
You can also omit the C.
That's fine.
Why did I choose these particular four voicings?
The reason is, these four voicings, while not special in themselves, represent four
different options from a very [A] closed voicing, [C] in which all of the notes are closed together.
See, they're really practically bunched up.
It's called a cluster voicing.
All the way up to a very open voicing, which all of the notes are kind of far apart of each other.
And this allows you to
Each of the chords has a different sort of mood that it sets.
It's really an artistic decision which one to use in the right context, but it's a useful
way of thinking about chords, closed versus open.
And I also have a video that discusses this same concept, but with minor chords, which
you're welcome to watch and compare to the current video.
So, a few other things I'd like to mention, talking about these chords.
First thing you do when you get a new voicing is, yes, you transpose it to all other chords.
This is the C major voicing.
It's your job to start transposing it to all of the other chords and practice.
So just [E] start descending.
[Ab] [C] [B] [A]
[G] [C] Third thing is that these are major 7 chords.
Most of them are variations on major 7, major 9 chords.
See, for example, this chord is open voicing.
If I take this B, put [B] it down here,
[C] so then [E] I take this E and put it down here, and already
have an E, what you'll see is that I'm actually [C] playing this chord.
And this chord is a C major 9.
You could also [B] play a C9, and a C9 is characterized by the fact that the 7 is dominant.
[C] This is a major 9, this is a C9.
So going back to the open voicing, if you want to play, use the same voicing for a C9
chord as it proposes a C major 9 chord, all you have to do is find where the 7 is and
lower it.
So here you have a voicing for C7 or C9.
I'm going to conclude by playing an example, which I hope will put some of the voicings in context.
I'm going to use the open voicing.
I'm going to play an ascending line.
I'm not going to play it with piano, but actually with strings.
And here's how it's going to sound.
I'm going to slightly give you an idea of what I've done after I finish playing it.
It's very short.
[D]
[C] [F] [G]
[A] [G] [C]
So what just happened?
I started with a fourth form, just a C in the fourth form.
[Dm] The next chord was a D minor, and this uses an open voicing from the video I mentioned,
which talks about [D] minor chords.
So let's call this the open minor voicing, just to make things [C] simple.
Then I played, once again, a C in an open form, and I used the variation that I taught
you, because now the bass is D.
This is F in the fourth form, [G] G, G7 in the fourth form.
So I'm actually playing this funny sounding chord, but in a much more pleasing [Am] voicing.
This is the same minor chord voicing that I used for the [Dm] D minor.
So this transposed [Am] up to A minor.
I'm just playing an A, E, B, C, D, G.
Once again, go watch the minor voicing video.
[G] And here's the fourth form, with a variation for G.
So this is the G chord, but [B] on a bass of B.
[G] And the final [C] chord was, once again, the fourth
form for C.
That's it.
I hope I've convinced you that these voicings are interesting.
Key:
C
G
A
E
B
C
G
A
_ _ _ _ Hey guys, welcome back to another lesson.
And in this lesson I'm going to show you four different voicings for the C major chord.
I'm going to first show you the four voicings, and then we're going to discuss them a bit,
as to why did I choose these particular four, and a few other things, and then I'm going
to play an example that will, I guess, showcase them in the right musical context.
So first of all, the voicings.
_ _ Just to make sure we are on the same page, this is the simple C major chord, C, E, and
D.
Usually it's played with a bass of C in the left hand.
So for the voicings.
The first voicing [C] is this one.
Playing a C and a G with my left hand, [A] and an A, B, D, E with my right.
_ [C] _
Second voicing is, _ again, a C and a G with the left hand, and a C, D, E, G with my right.
_ Third voicing is _ a C, G, and B with my left hand, [G] and a D, E, [C] G, and B with my right.
And the fourth voicing is a C, [G] G, and D with the left, [C] and an E, B, and E with the right.
I'd like to give you one extra voicing, which is a sort of variation on the fourth, which
looks like this.
The difference here [E] is that the bass note, the lowest note, is not a [C] C, but an E.
So this is actually a C over an E chord.
_ _ _ _ _ So here I'm playing [E] an E, C with the left, [C] and a G, C, D, G with the right.
You can also omit the C.
That's fine. _ _ _
Why did I choose these particular four voicings?
The reason is, these four voicings, while not special in themselves, represent four
different options from a very [A] closed voicing, [C] in which all of the notes are closed together.
See, they're really practically bunched up.
It's called a cluster voicing.
All the way up to a very open voicing, which all of the notes are kind of far apart of each other.
And this allows you to_
Each of the chords has a different sort of mood that it sets.
It's really an artistic decision which one to use in the right context, but it's a useful
way of thinking about chords, closed versus open.
And I also have a video that discusses this same concept, but with minor chords, which
you're welcome to watch and compare to the current video.
_ So, a few other things I'd like to mention, talking about these chords.
First thing you do when you get a new voicing is, yes, you transpose it to all other chords.
This is the C major voicing.
It's your job to start transposing it to all of the other chords and practice.
So just [E] start descending.
[Ab] _ _ _ [C] _ [B] _ _ [A] _ _
_ [G] _ _ [C] _ Third thing is that these are major 7 chords.
Most of them are variations on major 7, major 9 chords.
See, for example, this chord is open voicing.
If I take this B, put [B] it down here, _ _
[C] so then [E] I take this E and put it down here, _ and already
have an E, what you'll see is that I'm actually [C] playing this chord.
And this chord is a C major 9.
You could also [B] play a C9, and a C9 is characterized by the fact that the 7 is dominant.
[C] This is a major 9, this is a C9.
_ So going back to the open voicing, if you want to play, use the same voicing for a C9
chord as it proposes a C major 9 chord, all you have to do is find where the 7 is and
lower it.
_ So here you have a voicing for C7 or C9. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ I'm going to conclude by playing an example, which I hope will put some of the voicings in context.
I'm going to use the open voicing.
I'm going to play an ascending line.
I'm not going to play it with piano, but actually with strings.
And here's how it's going to sound.
I'm going to slightly give you an idea of what I've done after I finish playing it.
It's very short.
_ _ [D] _ _
_ [C] _ _ [F] _ _ _ [G] _ _
[A] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ So what just happened?
I started with a fourth form, just a C in the fourth form.
[Dm] The next chord was a D minor, and this uses an open voicing from the video I mentioned,
which talks about [D] minor chords.
So let's call this the open minor voicing, just to make things [C] simple.
Then I played, once again, a C in an open form, and I used the variation that I taught
you, because now the bass is D. _ _
_ This is F in the fourth form, [G] _ G, G7 in the fourth form.
So I'm actually playing _ this funny sounding chord, _ but in a much more pleasing [Am] voicing.
_ This is the same minor chord voicing that I used for the [Dm] D minor.
So this transposed [Am] up to A minor.
I'm just playing an A, E, B, C, D, G.
Once again, go watch the minor voicing video.
[G] And here's the fourth form, with a variation for G.
So this is the G chord, but [B] on a bass of B.
[G] And the final [C] chord was, once again, the fourth
form for C.
_ That's it.
I hope I've convinced you that these voicings are interesting.
And in this lesson I'm going to show you four different voicings for the C major chord.
I'm going to first show you the four voicings, and then we're going to discuss them a bit,
as to why did I choose these particular four, and a few other things, and then I'm going
to play an example that will, I guess, showcase them in the right musical context.
So first of all, the voicings.
_ _ Just to make sure we are on the same page, this is the simple C major chord, C, E, and
D.
Usually it's played with a bass of C in the left hand.
So for the voicings.
The first voicing [C] is this one.
Playing a C and a G with my left hand, [A] and an A, B, D, E with my right.
_ [C] _
Second voicing is, _ again, a C and a G with the left hand, and a C, D, E, G with my right.
_ Third voicing is _ a C, G, and B with my left hand, [G] and a D, E, [C] G, and B with my right.
And the fourth voicing is a C, [G] G, and D with the left, [C] and an E, B, and E with the right.
I'd like to give you one extra voicing, which is a sort of variation on the fourth, which
looks like this.
The difference here [E] is that the bass note, the lowest note, is not a [C] C, but an E.
So this is actually a C over an E chord.
_ _ _ _ _ So here I'm playing [E] an E, C with the left, [C] and a G, C, D, G with the right.
You can also omit the C.
That's fine. _ _ _
Why did I choose these particular four voicings?
The reason is, these four voicings, while not special in themselves, represent four
different options from a very [A] closed voicing, [C] in which all of the notes are closed together.
See, they're really practically bunched up.
It's called a cluster voicing.
All the way up to a very open voicing, which all of the notes are kind of far apart of each other.
And this allows you to_
Each of the chords has a different sort of mood that it sets.
It's really an artistic decision which one to use in the right context, but it's a useful
way of thinking about chords, closed versus open.
And I also have a video that discusses this same concept, but with minor chords, which
you're welcome to watch and compare to the current video.
_ So, a few other things I'd like to mention, talking about these chords.
First thing you do when you get a new voicing is, yes, you transpose it to all other chords.
This is the C major voicing.
It's your job to start transposing it to all of the other chords and practice.
So just [E] start descending.
[Ab] _ _ _ [C] _ [B] _ _ [A] _ _
_ [G] _ _ [C] _ Third thing is that these are major 7 chords.
Most of them are variations on major 7, major 9 chords.
See, for example, this chord is open voicing.
If I take this B, put [B] it down here, _ _
[C] so then [E] I take this E and put it down here, _ and already
have an E, what you'll see is that I'm actually [C] playing this chord.
And this chord is a C major 9.
You could also [B] play a C9, and a C9 is characterized by the fact that the 7 is dominant.
[C] This is a major 9, this is a C9.
_ So going back to the open voicing, if you want to play, use the same voicing for a C9
chord as it proposes a C major 9 chord, all you have to do is find where the 7 is and
lower it.
_ So here you have a voicing for C7 or C9. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ I'm going to conclude by playing an example, which I hope will put some of the voicings in context.
I'm going to use the open voicing.
I'm going to play an ascending line.
I'm not going to play it with piano, but actually with strings.
And here's how it's going to sound.
I'm going to slightly give you an idea of what I've done after I finish playing it.
It's very short.
_ _ [D] _ _
_ [C] _ _ [F] _ _ _ [G] _ _
[A] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ So what just happened?
I started with a fourth form, just a C in the fourth form.
[Dm] The next chord was a D minor, and this uses an open voicing from the video I mentioned,
which talks about [D] minor chords.
So let's call this the open minor voicing, just to make things [C] simple.
Then I played, once again, a C in an open form, and I used the variation that I taught
you, because now the bass is D. _ _
_ This is F in the fourth form, [G] _ G, G7 in the fourth form.
So I'm actually playing _ this funny sounding chord, _ but in a much more pleasing [Am] voicing.
_ This is the same minor chord voicing that I used for the [Dm] D minor.
So this transposed [Am] up to A minor.
I'm just playing an A, E, B, C, D, G.
Once again, go watch the minor voicing video.
[G] And here's the fourth form, with a variation for G.
So this is the G chord, but [B] on a bass of B.
[G] And the final [C] chord was, once again, the fourth
form for C.
_ That's it.
I hope I've convinced you that these voicings are interesting.