“Moon River” – Extended Chord Voicings
Welcome to the 4th lesson in our beginner jazz piano series on the tune “Moon River”. In this lesson we focus on moving beyond basic R-3-5-7 chord voicings. We touch upon extended chord theory by adding the 9th into our chord voicings for Cmaj7, Fmaj7, and A-7.
Left Hand 10th Intervals
We take the basic triads for the chords C major, A minor, and F major, and separate the 3 notes over a 10th interval to create a left-hand accompaniment pattern which is well-suited to solo jazz piano performance.
Left hand 10th intervals can be played simultaneously or if you have smaller hands they can also be played in a ‘rolling’ or ‘rocking’ motion as demonstrated in the lesson. Left hand 10th voicings create a strong harmonic foundation and add depth to our left hand accompaniment.
Basic Voicings To Extended Voicings
Remember that it’s a gradual process to transition from basic R-3-5-7 chords to incorporating the extensions 9, 11, and 13. Check out our chord extensions course for detailed tutorials on this important area of beginner jazz theory studies.
Mastering extended chord voicings is gradual process and playing lots of jazz standards is key to memorising the voicing shapes. Start by emulating the demonstrations and when you’re ready, move onto our next lesson where we apply the same techniques to the second half of the tune.
Related Lessons
We explore the voicing options for major chords under each note of the Lydian Mode which is a common scale to play over major chords.
The Kenny Barron voicing is an minor 11th chord voicing built from 5th intervals. The voicing is names after acclaimed jazz pianist Kenny Barron.
Extended chords create a richer and more complex sound than triads and 7th chords and are used to create more interesting progressions.
Practice Tips
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Focus on the feel and the sound of extended chord voicings. The first step to learning extended chords is to familiarise yourself with the hand shapes and how these voicings sound compared to basic R-3-5-7 voicings.
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If large stretches are challenging, 'roll' or arpeggiate the notes in your left hand whilst using the sustain pedal. If you are new to playing 10th intervals, it can take a little time to become comfortable with this technique. Practice slowly and accurately to build up the strength and dexterity.
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Isolate challenging sections - such as the final 3 bars of the B section - and practice slowly. Remember that if we can't play something slowly, we can't play it fast either! "The wise musician practices slowly, the wiser musician practices even slower."
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Isolate the left hand 10th intervals and practice this movement separately from the melody. Once you are more comfortable with the movement, add the right hand chord tones and melody note.
