From our free, Jazz Guitar Lessons Daily Series: Lesson 45
Fridays - Advanced Melodic Triads Concepts
3/12/21
Liquid harmony is the name I use for any harmonic concept or technique that allows me to play chords where at least one note is liquid, or moving. Rather than playing a block chord where all of the individual voices are static, then jumping to another block chord where all of the individual voices are static, etc… liquid harmony allows us the ability to play a chord made of multiple notes where some of the notes ring out while one (or more) of the notes moves to another pitch.
This produces a great effect. It gives an almost pianistic quality to the chords where it sounds like a lot is happening even when there’s not that much going on. Check out our blog post on liquid harmony to read more about this idea.
In today’s lesson we’re exploring this technique using basic major and minor triads superimposed over a iii-7 - biiiº7 - ii-7 - V7b9 progression in the key of Ab. Being able to transpose this progression through all of your keys, you’ll find these changes in plenty of jazz standards - All the Things You Are, Someday My Prince Will Come, rhythm changes, etc.
Download the PDF below to see the example from the video written in tab and standard notation. Over the C-7 we’re playing just a basic 1-b3-b7 shell voicing. We could “liquify” this chord, but I thought we’d start simple. Over the Bº7 chord we’re focusing on a G major triad with a tension b7. By subbing the tension b7, F, in place of the D note, we’re now playing G-B-F and it should sound like a G7 shell voicing. Except while we hold out the G and B notes, the F note will move down to D, create melodic tension and resolution and individual voice movement. This “G7 chord” is theoretically happening over a Bº7 chord.
After the Bº7 we voice lead down to Bb-7. Here we’re using a Bb minor triad with a tension 2. So our G triad voice leads to Bb minor where the root note (Bb)...
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