A & B Forms of Voicing

The A & B Forms of voicing Alberto Betancourt (albetan) John Mehegan in JAZZ IMPROVISATION, (1965) shows a practical and useful way to perform chords in left hand, that he calls the A and B Forms of voicings. ? This is the most frequent style in contemporary jazz piano.

The A form of voicing: IIm7 chord begins with third as lower note, followed by 5th, 7th and 9th. V7 chord begins with 7th, followed by 9th, 3rd , and 5th. I chord begins with third as lower note, followed by 5th, 6th and 9th. 2

D m7 9 G 7 13 3 7 9 5 7 3

˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ ?˙ ˙ II

?˙

V

b

? b ˙ bb

V

˙

E b m7 A b 7

˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙ ˙ bbbbb II

bbbbb ˙

w

B 7 ˙ ˙ 8 ˙˙ ˙˙˙˙ ? bb b II

w www

9 6 5 3

I

˙ F m7

C

Eb

w www

Db

V

˙

E m7

I

II

w

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F # m7

˙˙˙ ˙B˙˙7 nn n # # # # ˙ ˙

I

II

V

w

## ˙ nnn # #

˙

7

˙˙˙ ˙A˙˙ # ˙ ˙ nnnnn #

wwww

E

w www

D

wwww

V

I

G m7

˙˙˙ ˙C˙˙7 nnnnb ˙ ˙ II

w

nnnn ˙ b

nnbb

w

˙

I

nn b bb

V

˙

b

F

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The A form is used in keys from C to F. But you may play also other chords in this A form if it sounds good to you.

The B Form of voicing: IIm7 chord begins with 7th as lower note, followed by 9th, 3rd and 5th. V7 chord begins with 3rd as lower note, followed by 13th, 7th and 9th. I chord begins with 6th as lower note, followed by 9th, 3rd and 5th.

#### # # #### # #

G # m7 C # 7 9 5 7 3 13 9 3 7

˙ ? # # # # # ˙˙˙ #

15

˙˙˙˙

II

w

˙ A

˙˙˙˙ ˙˙˙˙ # ? ##

wwww

21

? ###

V

˙

˙˙˙˙

II

V

w

I

wwww

V

nnn b ˙ b

I

w

˙

V

2

A & B Forms

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nn n n # # #

I

nbb b ˙ b ˙ Bb

F7 ˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ nnnbb II

II

w

C m7

Ab

˙˙˙˙ ˙˙˙˙ nbb b b

wwww

nnnnn# ˙ ˙

I

˙

˙˙˙˙

B b m7 E b 7

G

6

I

E7

II

A m7 D 7

5 wwww 3 n n n # n n 9

V

? #### # # ˙ B m7

F#

nn n # # # n

w

C # m7 F # 7

˙˙ ˙ nn # # # # ˙ #

B ˙ ˙ ˙˙ wwww

II

V

nn # # # # # ˙

I

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w

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The B form is used from F# to B. You may play other chords in this B form if it sounds good to you. The reason why we use A/B form voicing is that we may play all chords in a little zone of keyboard from E2 to A3:

˙ ?˙ C in B Form

œœœœ 29 ?

II

? œ

œœœœ

V

œ

˙˙˙˙ I

˙

F in B Form

B in a Form

œœœœ b

œœœœ

˙˙˙˙

œ #n # # # œœœ #

œ œœœ

˙˙˙˙

II

V

I

II

V

I

b œ

œ

˙

## n # ## œ

œ

Practice also C and F in B form, and B in A form.

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A & B Forms 3

Jazz players are very familiar with these forms and they refer to it as A/B voicings. This is one of more used styles in contemporary jazz. Practice these A/B forms until mastering it. I think Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was first using these chord forms. Duke Ellington introduced these vocings in sax sections. Horace Silver in fifties used this style of voicings in piano accompaniment. From sixties, this is a very common style in contemporary jazz, thanks to promotion made by John Mehegan in JAZZ IMPROVISATION.

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EXERCISE: Play all chords in all qualities in A/B form voicings:

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C m7 C m7b5 C dim D b D b7 C # m7 C #m7b5 C # dim œ œ b œ b œ œœ n œœœ n œœœ œ b b œœœ œœœ b œœ œœ b œœœ 36 œ œ œ b œ œ œ ? Œ œœœ Œ Œ Œ Œ œ Ó b b b b Œ œœ Œ œ n n n n # # # # Œ Œ Œ # œ Ó b n C7

C

?˙ ˙ D

˙

˙

D7

Ó bbbbb ˙ ˙

˙

D m7 D m7b5

D dim

Eb

# nnnnn## # ˙ E b7

E b m7

œœ b œœœ b œœ œœ n œœœ n œœœ b œœœ b œœœ œ œ ? # # Œ œ Œ œ Œ n œ Œ œ Œ n œ Ó n n b b Œ œ Œ œ Œ b œœ Œ b

˙ E bm7b5

42

? ## ˙ ˙

˙

˙

˙

Ó nnbbb ˙ ˙

˙

˙

Ó

˙

nn## nn##

E b dim

œ œ ∫ œœœ b n œœœ Œ Œ nnn### # Œ ˙

Ó

## nnn # #

A & B Forms F F7 F m7 F m7b5 F dim œ œ œ œ œœ œœ n œEœœ7 En œœm7 E m7b5 œœ E dim œœ b œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ b œ œ œ b œ b œ ? # # # # Œ œ Œ œ Œ n œ Œ œ Œn œ Ó n n n n b Œ œ Œ œ Œ b œ Œ œ Œ b œ Ó E

48

? #### ˙

˙ F#

œ ? # # # # # Œ œœœ #

54

? #### # # ˙ Ab

˙

˙ Ó nnnnb ˙ ˙

˙

F #7

#

#

˙

˙

˙

#n # # # # # #### # n #

Ó

#

F m7 F m7b5 F dim G G7 G m7 G m7b5 G dim œ œ œ œ n œœ n œœ n œœ n b œœ œœ œœœ b œœœ b œœœ b b œœœ œ n œ œ n œ œ n # Œ Œ Œ Œ Ó n n n n Œ œ Œn œ Œ n œ Œ œ Œ œ Ó

nbb b b

Ó nnnnn# ˙ ˙

nbb b b

˙

˙

˙ # m7 #

A b7

˙

# dim

˙

˙

7

m7

Ó

˙

dim

G G m7b5 G A A A A m7b5 A œ œ œ œ œœ b œœœ n b œœœ 60 œœ n œœœ n œœœ œ œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ # # n œ n ? b b Œ œ Œ n n # # # Œ œ Œ œ Œn œ ŒŒ n # # Œ œ Œ Œ œ Œ œ Œ œ Ó nn # bb n

nnn b b

### ? bb b nnnbb n n#### Ó n Ó n n #˙ ˙ ˙ n ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ b ˙ ˙ Bb B b7 B b m7 B bm7b5 B b dim B B7 B m7 B m7b5 B dim œ œ œ œ b œ b œ œ œ n œ n 66 œ b œœœ b b œœœ œœœ b œœ œ n œœœ n n œœœ œœ n œœœ œ œ œ ? bb Œ œ Œ Œ Œ Œ œ Ó nn##### Œ œ Œ Œ Œ œ Ó Œ ? b b ˙ ˙

˙

˙ ˙

Ó nn##### ˙

˙

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Practice these 60 chords until you get an automatic performance.

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4

A & B Forms 5

Altered Seventh chord: C7alt When you find an altered seventh chord, play root in bass and tritone substitute in chord. See "Substitute Chords" at Albetan's Area. Tritone substitute corresponds to a seventh chord over its flat fifth. C7

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?Œ ? ˙.

˙˙ ˙ b˙

Œ

Œ

Œ

˙.

C 7alt b b bb ˙˙˙˙

Œ

Œ

Œ

b˙.

G˙b 7 b b b b ˙˙˙

G b7alt

Œ

Œ

Œ

b˙.

˙˙ ˙ b˙

So C7alt is Gb7 with bass C. Gb7alt is C7 with bass Gb. Please see file "Altered seventh chords" at Albetan's Area.

C Forms of voicing: Mehegan calls so this altered seventh form of voicing. Play some of your favourite tunes with this style of accompaniment. You may play chord voicings omitting bass in a "rootless" way. Or you may play bass and skip to chord. Play accompaniment of a standard with left in bass and right in chords. Good luck and enjoy A & B Forms of voicing.

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