I don't have a post but it's pretty simple.
Let's start with the rootless shells. You probably want to play
these with a play along record or "Band in a Box" so you can
hear the bass with what you are doing. In each case, disable the
piano .
Let's take the tune "Stella By Starlight"
Em7b5 | A7 | Cm7 | F7 |
Fm7 | Bb7 | Eb | Ab7 |
....
Okay so for each chord you just play the 3 and 7 (or 7 and 3)=20
depending.
Em7b7 =3D=3D [G D] or [D G]
A7 =3D=3D [C# G] or [G C#]
Cm7 =3D=3D [Eb Bb] or [Bb Eb]
F7 =3D=3D [A Eb] or [Eb A]
Fm7 =3D=3D [Ab Eb] or [Eb Ab]
Bb7 =3D=3D [D Ab] or [Ab D]
Eb =3D=3D [G D] or [D G]
Ab7 =3D=3D [C Gb] or [Gb C]
In general you will want to play them on the inner four strings because
otherwise they may seem too low or too high but not always.
So you just start somewhere and try and connect them so that you
don't move unecessarily and this will generate the smoothest voice
leading.
For example:
The first two chords would be either [G D] [G C#] or
[D G] [C# G].
You can try starting on different strings, playing up and down
on one pair of strings or not, restriking or not restriking common
tones as you change chords,.....
First I would recommend doing it with the music in front of you
and at a slow tempo.
Then try it without the music using some simple song that you
know the chords for, like maybe "Autumn Leaves" or "Beautiful Love"
or something.
It's not so easy to do this. You have to be thinking about harmony
all the time. The concept is easy but the execution is another matter.
It's easier to say "thirds and sevenths" than to play them.
You can also do this with rooted voicings. So in the First case
Em7b5 =3D=3D [E G D] or [E D G]
notice that the first would naturally be on the 3 consequtive
strings whereas the second would skip a string between E and D.
>Or is this best done by just examining voicings I already know.
>
>Also: in playing rootless voicings, shells, etc. is the unaltered 9th
>ever considered a safe part of the shell? I have never heard myself in
>terrible conflict with a pianist playing the 9th, but I have found
>myself clashing with a soloist a time or two over a 9th.=20
>
A shell doesnt have any upper notes like a 9 or 13 or 11 or whatever.
Though later on you can add those notes on top of the shells, but
that's much harder to do. Shells are hard enough.
>My experience is simply too sporadic, and includes "struggling" players,
>not experienced hands, so I really don't know how well to generalize
>from what I've experienced in this realm.
>--=20
>//////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>Lawson G. Stone=97Asbury Theological Seminary=97Wilmore, KY 40390
>\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////////////////////////
>"You know, a long time ago, being crazy meant something. Nowadays,
>everybody's crazy." Charles Manson
>
>
>
Reed Kotler
reed@justjazz.com
http://www.justjazz.com