Peter Martin shows you how to solo with block chords in a modern style.
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What’s going on everybody? Peter Martin here for 2 Minute Jazz. Hope you’re doing well. Today we’re gonna talk about modern block chord voicing solos. So we’re not talking about traditional block chord.
(piano music)
Which is great. Great sound, George Shearing, but this is a different kind of a sound. That’s more thirds-based. (piano music) A lot of thirds. This is more fourths. (piano music) But you still wanna have that melodic thing happening.
So we’re gonna start, we don’t want to just start comping, we’re still soloing. So, we’re gonna start with two and two, all fourths, D-minor, root fourth, seventh, third. We’re gonna move up diatonically.
(piano music)
Okay, we’re gonna use that for our first foundation of our solo. One two three four. (piano music) Now let’s add some chromatics in. Could be chromatic up or down. This is “Alone Together,” by the way. A lot of great things you can do there. Now we’re gonna add one note.
(piano trills)
“So What” voicing. Same thing diatonic. Chromatic. And then, we’re gonna go back to the two and two. And we’re gonna diverge, we’re gonna keep that top note. Add in some chromatics, but keep moving those fourths around beneath it. Nice little technique.
(piano music)
Combine ’em. That’s “So What” voicings. G minor. And out. Straight fourths, three on the right, two on the left. D major. Keep the top note the same. When you get this all going you can actually sneak in a little George Shearing. Okay. Once you get that fourth foundation you can sneak a little bit of the old school in.
Alright, happy practicing.
