Nathaniel School of Music

How to Play Piano Fills Between Chords (Octaves and Modern Pop Voicings)

To play piano fills between chords, loop a two-bar progression such as Dmaj9 for three beats, F#m7(11) for one and E(add4) for two, then use the last two beats for a short octave lick like A, B, A, E, F# that lands back on the first chord.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 22 min

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Key points

This lesson from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music is one two-bar exercise that works several skills at once: modern pop chord voicings, octave fills in different time divisions, and recovering on the beat after a fill. It suits pianists who know their basic major and minor triads and want them to sound richer. The lesson is in A major, but it ends with a template that moves it to any key.

The chord loop

A major has three sharps: C#, F# and G#. The loop uses three chords, each held for a different length:

Learn it first with plain triads. At first you can hold E for four beats as a placeholder, then cut it to two beats once you add the fill. For variety, swap F# minor for B minor, which leads nicely into E major.

In the left hand, play the root with its octave. If octaves are hard for now, play roots only.

The right-hand voicings

Dmaj9: A, C#, E, F#

Over D, these notes are the 5th, major 7th, major 9th and 3rd, which gives a major 9th sound.

F#m7(11): A, B, E, A

This is an open shape. Play A and B together with your thumb rather than stretching two fingers apart. Over the F# bass, A is the minor 3rd, B the 11th and E the minor 7th, with A repeated on top.

E(add4): A, B, E, G#

Use the same trick: the thumb takes A and B together.

Options and simpler versions

Left-hand time feel

Once the chords are comfortable, add soft ghost notes with your left thumb on the off-beats (the 'ands'). This gives a steady quaver feel. You can play it straight or swung.

Octave fills for the gap

Play these in octaves during the two empty beats. The last note lands on the next beat 1, where the D chord comes back.

  1. A, B, A, E, F#
  2. C#, B, A, E, F#
  3. C#, E, D, B, C#
  4. A, B, C#, G#, F#, which works well as a faster triplet or semiquaver fill

Play the chords softer so the octaves stand out. The rhythm does not have to be even quavers. Dotted rhythms work too. The time division changes how many notes fit in two beats:

Pedal and recovery

Use the sustain pedal on the fill so the octaves blend. Without it they can sound disconnected. Lift the pedal between the chord and the fill, and again when you return to the chord. That is good pedal practice in itself.

The exercise also trains recovery. There is no spare time after the fill, so you must land the chord exactly on beat 1.

Moving it to any key

Learn each voicing as a template measured from its own chord root:

In the key of A, the D chord shape is simply 1, 3, 5, 6 of the scale. Jason Zac moves the exercise down a semitone to Ab major. There the chords are Db (the IV chord), F minor and Eb, so Dbmaj9 becomes Ab, C, Eb, F. Expect each new key to take time to settle, and practise slowly with a metronome before improvising your own fills.

Questions about this lesson

What chords are used in this piano fill exercise?

In A major the loop is D major (IV) for three beats, F# minor (vi) for one beat and E major (V) for two beats. The last two beats are left for a fill. B minor can replace F# minor or be added as an extra filler chord.

How do I play a modern pop voicing of D major?

Play A, C#, E, F# in the right hand over a D bass. These notes are the 5th, major 7th, major 9th and 3rd of D, giving a Dmaj9 sound.

What if I can't play octaves yet?

Play single notes for the fills, and only roots in the left hand instead of root and octave. You can also use the simpler three-note voicings until the full shapes feel comfortable.

Should I use the sustain pedal for the fills?

Yes. Pedalling the octave fill helps the notes blend instead of sounding disconnected. Lift the pedal between the chord and the fill, and again when you return to the chord.

Practise it

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