Rootless voicings (A and B forms)
Music theory · Jazz harmony · Level 5 · 16 min
When a bass player covers the roots, the pianist no longer needs to double them. In the late 1950s, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly and Red Garland popularised rootless voicings: four notes in the left hand, around middle C, containing the third, seventh and extensions. The sound of modern jazz piano was born.
Two forms
- A form: third on the bottom. Minor or major chord: 3-5-7-9. Dominant: 3-13-7-9.
- B form: seventh on the bottom. Minor or major chord: 7-9-3-5. Dominant: 7-9-3-13.
In a ii–V–I you alternate A-B-A or B-A-B, and the voices slide by a step at most:
| Dm9 | G13 | Cmaj9 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A – B – A | F A C E | F A B E | E G B D |
| B – A – B | C E F A | B E F A | B D E G |
M:4/4
L:1/4
%%staves {P B}
V:P clef=bass
V:B clef=bass
K:C
[V:P] "Dm9"[F,A,CE]4 | "G13"[F,A,B,E]4 | "Cmaj9"[E,G,B,D]4 | "Dm9"[CEFA]4 | "G13"[B,EFA]4 | "Cmaj9"[B,DEG]4 |]
[V:B] D,,4 | G,,4 | C,4 | D,,4 | G,,4 | C,4 |]
Top staff: the pianist's left hand. Bottom staff: the double bass. Listen to how, from one chord to the next, only one or two notes move by a half or whole step.
Altered dominants
On the V, the 9th and 13th are often altered. G7(♭9,♭13) in B form: F A♭ B E♭. This voicing holds maximum tension before resolving to Cmaj9 or Cm6.
Where to play?
Keep these voicings roughly between the D below middle C and the G above it. Lower, they get murky; higher, they get in the melody's way. Choose A or B according to the root to stay in this zone.