Overview
This lecture explains the concept of chord voicings, demonstrating how rearranging or duplicating notes within a chord creates different variations, all while maintaining the chord's core identity.
What Are Voicings?
- Voicing refers to the specific arrangement of the notes within a chord.
- You can create many variations of a chord by distributing or duplicating its notes differently.
- Voicings can be based on various inversions but involve more than changing the bass note.
Properties of Voicings
- All voicings of a chord contain only the notes that belong to that particular chord.
- Voicings can sound slightly different, even when using the same notes and inversion.
- The lowest note in a voicing (the bass) can define the inversion used, but upper notes can be rearranged freely.
- For example, a first inversion C major triad can have multiple voicings, all with E as the lowest note.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Voicing — the way in which the notes of a chord are arranged or distributed.
- Inversion — a chord structure where a note other than the root is the lowest note.
- Triad — a three-note chord consisting of the root, third, and fifth.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Experiment by creating and listening to different voicings of familiar chords.
- Review previous section on inversions if needed.
- Proceed to the next lesson on seventh chords.