How To Play Spread Voicings on Piano – Great Jazz Piano Chords!

/Steve Nixon/
Steve Nixon

Steve Nixon

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| Last Updated:
July 6, 2015

– Are you struggling to find good solo jazz piano voicings?

– Do you only feel comfortable when you’re playing in a trio and there’s a bass player laying down the bottom end for you?

– How about accompanying vocalists?  Do you have trouble finding the right voicings to play behind a singer?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then this free jazz piano lesson video was made for you! (video lesson below)

In this free video lesson I teach you how to play some of the most effective jazz voicings out there.  These voicings are known as the spread voicing (sometimes called open voicings).

These voicings work great applied to solo piano, accompanying a singer, accompanying an instrumentalist, and even in certain situations in a trio or a quartet setting.

Check ’em out and enjoy the lesson……..  If you would like to learn how to apply these voicings to a tune check out this lesson here Satin Doll chord lesson.  You can also check out how Bill Evans played advanced spread voicings here Bill Evans chords.

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Steve Nixon

With a career spanning global tours and collaborations with legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy, Steve Nixon is more than just a Berklee-trained pianist. He’s a bridge-builder for the next generation of musicians. As the founder of Freejazzlessons.com, Steve turns his performance experience into accessible education, reaching over 70,000 students each month. He’s on a mission to keep the soul of jazz and blues alive in a world where music budgets are shrinking. Read Steve's full bio here.

11 Comments

  1. Pamela Johnson on January 10, 2012 at 1:00 pm

    As a classically trained musician who wants to learn more about jazz and blues chords, this is wonderful! This and your other videos look to be a great help to me and my students. Thank you! =D
    Pamela @ Joyful Songs ~ Music Education

    Reply
    • Steve Nixon (freejazzlessons) on January 11, 2012 at 4:42 am

      It’s my pleasure Pamela.  I’m glad you and your students are enjoying the material!

      Reply
  2. veronica on September 4, 2012 at 8:30 am

    Hello there I am new to learning the 2, 5,1, progession is there a way that you could suggest some rhythemic patterns to help learn the progression in all keys to break up the monotony

    Reply
  3. veronica on September 4, 2012 at 8:31 am

    oh by the way this is great web sight-
    thanks alot

    Reply
  4. Gary Morse on April 4, 2013 at 11:42 am

    Steve, all your stuff is stimulating and inspiring! Thanks for your transparent, graphic style of teaching…I’m getting more and more “hooked” on your tips.

    Reply
  5. Jed Levine on August 25, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    I noticed when you first played the II – V – I (in C), you voiced the I chord in the RH 3 – 5 – 9, but later when you played the II – V – I in Eb, you voiced the RH 3 – 6 – 9 (G – C – F). Was this intentional? It wasn’t explained. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Steve Nixon (freejazzlessons) on August 26, 2013 at 3:24 am

      Hey Jed!
      Great question. Yes, it was intentional. It’s a small variation. I just replaced the 5th scale degree with the 6th. It’s a pretty cool sound 🙂

      Reply
  6. Cymber Lily Quinn on January 7, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    Thanks for a great lesson. I’m a jazz harpist, and these things translate well to the harp.

    Reply
  7. Garlic on March 26, 2016 at 2:11 am

    Thanks for the lessons. Trying to get back into it after 10 years…

    Reply

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