Module 4: Voicings I: shell voicingsLesson 1intermediate⏱ 60 min + 15 min daily for a week

Shell voicings with the root on the 6th string

Learn the two three-note shell shapes with the root on the low E string, play all seven common chord qualities with them, and comp a ii–V–I.

Why three notes are enough

Ask a bass player what they want from a guitarist and you will get the same answer every time: "play less". A chord needs only two things to be recognisable: its root, so we know where it sits, and its 3rd and 7th, so we know what quality it is. The 3rd tells you major or minor; the 7th tells you major 7th, dominant or diminished. The 5th tells you almost nothing (it is the same note in major, minor and dominant chords), so the first thing a jazz guitarist learns to throw away is the 5th.

A shell voicing is exactly that: root, 3rd and 7th, three strings, nothing else. Shells have four properties that make them the right place to start:

• They are physically easy: three fingers, frets within one or two of each other, no barre.
• They are harmonically complete: root plus guide tones. Nothing is ambiguous.
• They stay out of the way of the bass (you are low on the neck but not doubling the bass line) and of the soloist (no tensions to clash with).
• Every bigger voicing later in the course is a shell with notes added on top. Learn the shells and you learn the bottom of every drop-2 and drop-3 shape before you meet it.

The 3rd and 7th are called the guide tones, because they guide the ear from chord to chord. In theory you met them as the notes that move by half step through a ii–V–I; here you will feel that movement under your fingers.

The two layouts with the root on string 6

With the root on the low E string there are two ways to stack the 3rd and 7th:

• Set 6-4-3: root – 7th – 3rd. Skip the 5th string; the 7th is on the D string and the 3rd is on the G string. This is the shape most players mean when they say "shell voicing". The 5th string must be muted.
• Set 6-5-4: root – 3rd – 7th. Three adjacent strings; the 3rd sits on the A string and the 7th on the D string. Lower and darker, with the 3rd right above the bass note.

Both layouts contain the same three pitch classes; what changes is which guide tone is on top. Having both gives you a choice of top note for every chord, and in lesson 4.2 that choice is what lets you move from chord to chord without jumping.

Here are the seven qualities you need, all on a G root, first on set 6-4-3. Play each one, say its name, and say the degree of each note (R, 7, 3) as you sound it.

And the same seven on set 6-5-4:

Study the table against the diagrams and notice two things:

1. Gm7 and Gm7b5 give the identical shell. The only difference between them is the 5th, which the shell leaves out. The same is true of Gm6 and Gdim7: the 6th of a minor 6 chord and the double-flat 7th of a diminished 7th are the same pitch. This is not a weakness. Players use it all the time: a m6 shell over a bass player's root is a m6; the same shape a half step above a dominant root sounds as a 7b9. For now, remember that the shell tells the listener major or minor 3rd and which 7th, and the context does the rest.
2. The 7th moves while the root stays. From maj7 to 7 to 6, only the string carrying the 7th changes. Hearing that one note move is the best ear training for chord quality you can do.

Fingering

There is no single correct fingering, but be consistent so that each shape lives under one anchor finger:

• Set 6-4-3: many players put the 2nd finger on the root, the 3rd finger on string 4 and the 4th finger on string 3. The free 1st finger then rests lightly across the 5th string to mute it, and the fleshy part of the 2nd finger touches it too. This is the Freddie Green fingering and it pays off in lesson 4.3. If your 4th finger is weak, use 1-2-3 instead and mute the 5th string with the underside of the 1st finger.
• Set 6-5-4: 1st finger on the root for the dominant, m7 and 6 shapes (the 3rd is a fret below), and strings 3-2-1 are muted by the unused fingers lying flat, or simply not picked.

Whatever you choose, the root finger should touch its string first; the other two land together. Practise forming the shape in the air and dropping it onto the neck in one movement.

Muting is part of the voicing

A shell with an open 5th string ringing is not a shell, it is a mess. Check every shape: pick the three strings one at a time, then strum through all six; you should hear three notes and some muted clicks. If a fourth pitch rings, adjust the angle of the root finger until it leans on the string below it. Muting is not an afterthought; it is what lets you strum shells freely in a band.

Playing the qualities in time

Play these whole notes with the metronome at 60, letting each chord ring. Name the chord aloud on beat 1 of each bar.

\tempo 60
.
\ts 4 4
(3.6 4.4 4.3).1{ch "Gmaj7"} | (3.6 3.4 4.3).1{ch "G7"} | (3.6 3.4 3.3).1{ch "Gm7"} | (3.6 3.4 3.3).1{ch "Gm7b5"} |

\tempo 60
.
\ts 4 4
(3.6 2.5 4.4).1{ch "Gmaj7"} | (3.6 2.5 3.4).1{ch "G7"} | (3.6 1.5 3.4).1{ch "Gm7"} | (3.6 1.5 3.4).1{ch "Gm7b5"} |

Now the quality drill that trains your ear. One root, six qualities, two beats each. The 6 and maj7 are both "home" sounds; the 7 wants to move; the m7 is soft; the m6 and dim7 are the same shape and the darkest colour. Say the quality as you change.

\tempo 80
.
\ts 4 4
(3.6 2.4 4.3).2{ch "G6"} (3.6 4.4 4.3).2{ch "Gmaj7"} | (3.6 3.4 4.3).2{ch "G7"} (3.6 3.4 3.3).2{ch "Gm7"} | (3.6 2.4 3.3).2{ch "Gm6"} (3.6 2.4 3.3).2{ch "Gdim7"} | (3.6 4.4 4.3).1{ch "Gmaj7"} |

The ii–V–I with root-6 shells

The ii–V–I is the progression that comping is built on, and with shells you can hear exactly why: the guide tones of each chord lead into the next.

Look at the 7th of Dm7 and the 3rd of G7: a half step apart. The 7th of G7 and the 3rd of Cmaj7: another half step. The other guide tone stays put each time. That is the engine of the ii–V–I, and you will see it drawn out as a voice-leading map in lesson 4.5.

With every root on the 6th string you cannot keep the hand in one place: the roots of ii, V and I in C sit at frets 10, 3 and 8. Play it anyway. The jumps are the point of this exercise: you learn to find the root first and let the shape follow. Lesson 4.2 solves the jumping by mixing root-6 and root-5 shapes.

\tempo 70
.
\ts 4 4
(10.6 10.4 10.3).1{ch "Dm7"} | (3.6 3.4 4.3).1{ch "G7"} | (8.6 9.4 9.3).1{ch "Cmaj7"} | (8.6 9.4 9.3).1 |
(10.6 10.4 10.3).2{ch "Dm7"} (3.6 3.4 4.3).2{ch "G7"} | (8.6 9.4 9.3).1{ch "Cmaj7"} |

\tempo 70
.
\ts 4 4
(5.6 3.5 5.4).1{ch "Am7"} | (10.6 9.5 10.4).1{ch "D7"} | (3.6 2.5 4.4).1{ch "Gmaj7"} | (3.6 2.5 4.4).1 |
(5.6 3.5 5.4).2{ch "Am7"} (10.6 9.5 10.4).2{ch "D7"} | (3.6 2.5 4.4).1{ch "Gmaj7"} |

Using the shells in a tune

Any chart you can read can be played with these fourteen shapes. For symbols that are not on the list, reduce them:

• Anything with a 9, 11 or 13 after a quality (m9, maj9, 9, 13) is played as the plain m7, maj7 or 7 shell. The extensions are the subject of lesson 4.4.
• 7b9, 7#9, 7alt and 7#11 are played as a plain 7 shell. The guide tones of a dominant chord do not change when it is altered.
• m(maj7) is rare; play the m7 shell for now.
• A plain major triad symbol is usually played as a 6 or maj7 shell, and a plain minor symbol as m7 or m6, depending on the style of the tune.

Shells are also the standard way to learn a new tune: play through the changes with shells only, in time, and you will hear the form and the key centres without the distraction of bigger voicings.

Exercises

1. One root, seven qualities (as in the quality drill) on all twelve roots along string 6, from fret 1 to fret 12. Two beats per chord at 60 bpm, both string sets.
2. Quality call-out: have a friend or a recording call out qualities at random on one root ("minor 7… dominant… major 7… minor 6"); you play them without pausing the metronome.
3. ii–V–I in all keys, root-6 only: use the progression table in lesson 4.5, or work around the cycle starting from C. Accept the jumps.
4. Spell as you play: when a shell is under your fingers, say the three note names low to high. Use the chord dictionary to check yourself; it shows every shell in the library with its degrees.

Quiz