Nathaniel School of Music

5 Piano Chord Voicings That Instantly Sound Richer: Spread, Slash, Add9, 7ths and Quartal

To make simple piano chords sound richer, take a progression like G–Em–Am–D and replay it with spread (open) voicings, slash chords, stacked-fifth add9 shapes, 1-5 plus 3-7 seventh voicings, or quartal chords built in fourths.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 31 min

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Key points

This lesson by Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music takes a very common progression and shows five simple ways to make it sound more sophisticated and professional. You do not need jazz theory or advanced technique, only the major scale and a few intervals. It suits pianists who are comfortable with basic triads and want fresher sounds.

The starting point: I–vi–ii–V in G major

G major has one sharp, F#. Its chords are G (I), Am (ii), Bm (iii), C (IV), D (V), Em (vi) and F#dim (vii). As sevenths they become Gmaj7, Am7, Bm7, Cmaj7, D7, Em7 and F#m7b5 (half-diminished).

The progression for the whole lesson is G – Em – Am – D (I–vi–ii–V): G B D, E G B, A C E and D F# A. You can play these with inversions, but the goal is to go beyond plain triads.

1. Spread (open) voicings

Write each triad's notes around a circle, then read them in the opposite direction. G B D becomes G D B: root, fifth, then the third on top.

These are hard to stretch in one hand, so use two hands or roll them. Because the notes are clear, spread chords sound good high up and even deep in the bass clef, where a close triad would sound muddy. They work as single sustained hits, you can shape patterns from them, and the top note can carry a melody.

2. Slash chords

A slash chord puts a bass note other than the root under the chord. Here the bass is another chord tone. G with B in the bass (G/B) sounds more tense and less resolved than plain G. Whatever inversion the right hand plays, changing the left-hand bass changes the colour.

Play the progression with different basses, such as G/B, Am/C and D/F#. D/F# leads smoothly back to G. You do not need slashes on every chord. Mix slash and normal chords, or combine slash with spread: start from the new bass note and still read the chord in the reverse direction.

3. Stacked fifths (add9 shapes)

In the left hand, play the root, its fifth, then the fifth above that. G D A gives root, fifth and ninth. The ninth is the second scale degree an octave up. Use notes from the scale:

Guitarists use this sound a lot. For a fuller chord, add the third on top: major third for major chords, minor third for minor ones, giving G D A B. It sounds great in either hand and makes a good song intro.

4. Seventh chords split between the hands

The progression becomes Gmaj7, Em7, Am7 and D7. Play 1 and 5 in the left hand (G D, E B, A E, D A) and the 3rd and 7th in the right hand, in either order:

A 3-7 and a 7-3 right hand give the same chord with quite different moods. With the notes spread out, each one is clear, which can inspire melodies and improvisation.

5. Quartal voicings

Quartal chords are built in fourths, not thirds. Shown on G, there are three types:

On each note of G major these give G Q+ (G C F#), A Q (A D G), B Q (B E A), C #4Q (C F# B), D Q (D G C), E Q (E A D) and F# Q (F# B E).

Quartals work best when chords last longer, for example four beats each. Keep the root in the bass and try any of the seven shapes above it. While the band holds G major, you can move between several shapes.

How to practise

  1. Play G–Em–Am–D as plain triads.
  2. Replay it with each technique in turn, listening to how the sound opens up.
  3. Combine techniques, for example slash plus spread.
  4. With quartals, give each chord four beats and test shapes over each root.

Questions about this lesson

What is a spread or open voicing on piano?

It is a triad played as root, fifth, then the third an octave higher, so G B D becomes G D B. The wider spacing makes each note clear, so it sounds good both high and low on the keyboard.

How do I play seventh chords easily without jazz technique?

Play the root and fifth in the left hand and the third and seventh in the right hand. For Gmaj7 that is G D in the left hand and B F# (or F# B) in the right.

What are the three types of quartal chords?

On G, the plain quartal is G C F (root, fourth, flat seventh), quartal plus is G C F# (root, fourth, major seventh), and sharp-four quartal is G C# F# (root, augmented fourth, major seventh).

What is an add9 voicing made from stacked fifths?

Play the root, its fifth and the fifth above that, such as G D A. The top note is the ninth, which is the second scale degree an octave higher.

Practise it

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