Fourth Voicings - mixing them in
Fourth voicings are easy to play on the guitar and can provide an easy way to harmonize melody notes. They can also be very useful for comping. However, if they are overused, they tend to create a very bland sound. It's often best to mix them in with other types of voicings.
Below are some examples, based on the "Lady Bird" turnaround.
Example 1
All these are fourth voicings. As you can hear by clicking on the Sound File link, the voicings sound somewhat bland.
The chord tones, from the bottom up:
| CMaj7 | 3, 6, 9, 5 |
| EbMaj7 | 3, 6, 9, 5 |
| AbMaj7 | 3, 6, 9, 5 |
| DbMaj7 | 6, 9, 5, 1 |
| CMaj7 | 6, 9, 5, 1 |
There are several things contributing to the bland nature of this turnaround: the voicings are all fourths; the first three voicings share the same chord-tone makeup, as do the last two voicings; and the movement of the voicings does not contrast with the bass line enough.
In the next example, I'll add some variety.
Example 2
All these are fourth voicings, except for the AbMaj7. As you can hear by clicking on the Sound File link, the non-fourth voicing introduces a new color. Also, the movement of the top voice creates more contrast with the bass line.
The chord tones, from the bottom up:
| CMaj7 | 3, 6, 9, 5 |
| EbMaj7 | 3, 6, 9, 5 |
| AbMaj7 | 1, 5, 7, 3 |
| DbMaj7 | 7, 3, 6, 9 |
| CMaj7 | 1, 5, 7, 3 |
The repeated C as the bottom note of the last two voicings bothers me, so in the next example, on the DbMaj7 chord, I'll replace the C with a Db.
Example 3
That sounds more balanced.
The chord tones, from the bottom up:
| CMaj7 | 3, 6, 9, 5 |
| EbMaj7 | 3, 6, 9, 5 |
| AbMaj7 | 1, 5, 7, 3 |
| DbMaj7 | 1, 3, 6, 9 |
| CMaj7 | 1, 5, 7, 3 |
The Db to C in the bottom voice is better than the repeated C. This example also demonstrates that you should not be afraid of using the root in your voicings. Even though the bottom note of the voicings is doubling the bass, the voice leading makes the roots work.
Conclusion
Context will have a lot to do with the choices you make with your voicings. Example 3 creates such a strong cadence that you might want to save it for the ending of the tune. Examples 1 and 2, in spite of my reservations, would work fine in comping behind a soloist.
Add fourth voicings to your harmonic vocabulary for comping and chord-melody playing, but mix them in carefully, always keeping the overall sound in mind.
Steve Carter www.frogstoryrecords.com
