3 Modern Piano Chord Voicings and Arpeggio Sets
Play a C7sus4 arpeggio (C F G Bb) in the right hand over C minor, Ab and F in the left hand, voiced three ways (sparse sevenths, open fifths with ninths, and jazz tensions), then group the arpeggio in sets of 2, 3, 4 or 5 while the beat stays divided into 4 or 3.
Key points
- The right hand holds a C7sus4 arpeggio (C F G Bb) over left-hand C minor, Ab and F.
- Voicing 1 is sparse and within an octave: C G Bb, Ab Eb G, F C Eb.
- Voicing 2 stacks fifths for open add9 sounds: C G D, Ab Eb Bb, F C G.
- Voicing 3 uses jazz tensions: Cm9 (C Bb D), Ab 6/9 and F9 (F Eb G).
- Group arpeggio notes in sets of 2, 3, 4 or 5 against a beat divided by 4 or 3 to create polyrhythmic phrasing.
What this lesson teaches
In this lesson Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows a modern, jazzy piano texture with two parts. First, three left-hand voicing strategies that stretch the hand further each time to reach sevenths, ninths and sixths. Second, a rhythm workout where the right-hand arpeggio is grouped against the way the beat is divided, creating polyrhythmic phrasing. It suits intermediate players working on hand independence and richer chords.
The right-hand chord
The right hand plays C F G Bb, starting on the C above middle C. Theoretically this is a C7sus4 chord. It stays the same throughout the lesson.
The left-hand progression
The left hand plays three chords: some kind of C minor, some kind of Ab major and some kind of F major. Jason Zac thinks of them as coming from a hybrid minor scale, where the sixth can be flat or natural and the seventh can be flat or natural. Play C minor for four counts, then Ab for two and F for two, with the left hand simply marking the pulse.
Voicing 1: sparse sevenths within the octave
- C: C G Bb, or the quartal shape C F Bb, or all four notes C F G Bb if it does not sound muddy.
- Ab: Ab Eb G, the root, fifth and major seventh with no third (Abmaj7 no 3).
- F: F C Eb, the root, fifth and flat seventh (F7 no 3). A plainer option is F Eb F.
Leaving out the third keeps the low register clear and easier on the fingers.
Voicing 2: fifths and ninths (quintal)
Play root, fifth and ninth, which is simply two perfect fifths stacked: C G D, Ab Eb Bb, F C G. These are add9 chords without the third. The sound is very open, one note richer than a rock power chord, and you can play it low. Because the voicing commits to neither A nor Ab, melodies in C Dorian or C Aeolian both work over it.
Voicing 3: jazz tensions
- C minor 9: C Bb D (root, flat seventh, ninth).
- Ab 6/9: a voicing on Ab that includes the sixth and the ninth.
- F9: F Eb G (root, flat seventh, ninth), with no third or fifth to avoid muddiness.
You need to reach at least a ninth. A useful trick is to move your whole hand towards you so the thumb just catches the edge of the key. You can also keep the first chord as the simpler C7sus4 shape, since the right hand is already playing it.
Right-hand arpeggios: division versus sets
Every rhythm has two layers: how you divide the beat (by 2, 3 or 4) and how you group notes into sets. Normally they match: semiquavers (1 e and a) played as sets of four, or triplets (takita) as sets of three. The goal here is to break that habit.
- Divide by 4, sets of 4: C F G Bb as plain semiquavers.
- Divide by 4, sets of 3: keep the semiquaver speed but play C F Bb repeatedly. The pattern lines up again after 12 notes, the LCM of 3 and 4.
- Divide by 4, sets of 5: wake up the little finger and add the top C (or a D for a ninth colour). These are not quintuplets, only human-made groups of five.
- Divide by 4, sets of 2: simple, but more active than it sounds.
- Divide by 3, sets of 3: normal triplets.
- Divide by 3, sets of 4: count the triplet division while the hand repeats four notes; again it resolves after 12.
- Divide by 3, sets of 5: try going downwards from the pinky as well.
How to practise
Go slowly. Say the division out loud (1 e and a, or takita) while the hand plays the set, and play by feel rather than reading notation, which usually groups in fours and can confuse you. Once a pattern is steady, keep the left-hand chord changes going: four counts on the first chord, two on the second and two on the third.
Questions about this lesson
Why leave the third out of left-hand chords?
In the low register the third can make the chord sound muddy and makes the shape harder on the fingers. Root, fifth and seventh, or root, fifth and ninth, give a similar colour with a clearer sound.
What is the difference between dividing the beat and playing in sets?
Division is how the beat is split, such as four semiquavers or three triplets. A set is how many notes you group as a repeating pattern, so you can play sets of three notes while still dividing the beat into four.
How long does a set of 3 take to line up with a division of 4?
It lines up again after 12 notes, the lowest common multiple of 3 and 4. The same applies to sets of 4 over a triplet division.
What if my left hand cannot stretch a ninth?
Start with the first voicing, which stays within an octave. For the wider voicings, try moving your hand towards you so the thumb plays near the edge of the key.
Practise it
- Voicing RoomA hands-on lesson room for piano chord voicings.
- Rhythm TeacherBuild accent patterns, divide beats and explore odd metres and polyrhythms.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- Folk Piano Arpeggios With Melodic Embellishments (Part 1)To play folk-style piano, support the melody with a left-hand arpeggio of root, third, fifth and the root an octave up (A C# E A in A major), then dress up the melody with hammer-ons, double stops, finger glides and short runs.
- The Only Left-Hand Piano Arpeggio You Need (Works on Any Song)Play each left-hand chord as low, high, middle, high in steady eighth notes (two cycles per bar), use inversions so the chords move smoothly, and then improvise a right-hand melody using chord tones, the pentatonic scale, singing, or small scale shapes.
- How to Make Left-Hand Piano Chords Sound HugeTo make left-hand piano chords sound huge without getting muddy, use a spread voicing: play the root, then the fifth, then the third an octave higher (a tenth), so F major becomes F C A and F minor becomes F C Ab.
- Hand Independence Exercises for Piano Using Sixteenth Notes (Part 2)To build hand independence over sixteenth notes, play a funky Gm7–C7 chord rhythm in the right hand while the left hand keeps a steady root-and-fifth bass pulse on every beat, then add an Eb9 or D7b9 turnaround in the fourth bar.