Module 4: Voicings I: shell voicingsLesson 3intermediate⏱ 60 min + 15 min daily for two weeks

Four-to-the-bar: Freddie Green comping

Play rhythm guitar the Count Basie way, four quarter notes to the bar with three-note shells, clean muting, a light accent on 2 and 4 and a right hand that makes the band swing.

Why a rhythm style from the 1930s still matters

Freddie Green sat in the Count Basie rhythm section for almost fifty years and rarely played a solo. He is nevertheless on every list of the most important jazz guitarists, because he defined the job of the rhythm guitarist: keep time, keep the texture light, and make the band feel good. He played an unamplified acoustic archtop with heavy strings and high action, four even quarter notes in every bar, with three-note (and often two-note) voicings that are the shells you learned in lessons 4.1 and 4.2.

Learning this style does four things for you even if you never play in a big band:

• It teaches time. Four to the bar with no rhythmic variation exposes every rushed or dragged beat; there is nowhere to hide. A month of this and your comping in every other style tightens up.
• It teaches touch. The sound comes from the right hand and from how quickly the left hand releases, not from volume.
• It is the reference point for swing feel on the guitar. Players describe comping rhythms as departures from "four on the floor"; you need to own the thing they depart from.
• It is what you will be asked to play on a jump-blues, swing-dance or big-band gig, and on any chart marked "Freddie Green style".

The sound: what is actually ringing

The surprise, when you listen closely to the Basie records, is how little pitch you hear from the guitar. Green's chords were mostly on strings 6, 4 and 3, fingered so that the 5th, 2nd and 1st strings were muted by the fretting hand, and he strummed through all six strings. Often only one or two notes ring clearly, and the rest is a percussive "chunk". The guitar sits between the walking bass and the hi-hat: part of the pulse, not part of the harmony. Three principles follow:

1. Voicings are shells, mostly with the root on string 6. Set 6-4-3 (root, 7th, 3rd) is the standard. Set 6-5-4 is used when the 3rd-in-the-middle colour is wanted. Root-5 shapes come in when they keep the hand in place.
2. The I chord is usually a 6 chord, not a maj7. The maj7 is too "pretty" for the style and clashes with a melody on the root. The VI chord is usually played as a dominant (VI7), the ii as m7, the V as 7.
3. Short notes. Every quarter note is cut off before the next one by releasing left-hand pressure. The strings are still touched, just not pressed. The result is "chunk", not "strum".

The shapes you will use most in this lesson are the four below: the I as a 6 chord with the root on string 6, and the VI7, ii7 and V7 of the Bb turnaround. They are the shells from lessons 4.1 and 4.2; what changes here is how you sound them.

Left hand: fret with three, mute with the rest

Use the fingering recommended in lesson 4.1 for set 6-4-3: 2nd finger on the root, 3rd finger on string 4, 4th finger on string 3. The 1st finger lies lightly across strings 5, 2 and 1 without pressing; it is a mute, not a fretting finger. Check it: strum all six strings slowly and listen for exactly three pitches and three clicks.

Then practise the release. Press, strum, and about a sixteenth note later relax the three fretting fingers so the strings stop sounding but your fingers stay in contact with them. Press again for the next beat. The pressing and releasing is the engine of the style; the right hand simply strums on every beat. Start at 60 bpm, one chord, until the release is automatic.

For the 6-5-4 set, mute strings 3, 2 and 1 with the flat of the 3rd and 4th fingers. For root-5 shapes, the 6th string is muted by the tip of the root finger reaching over it or by starting the strum from string 5.

Right hand: the stroke

• Hold the pick firmly and strike with a downstroke on every beat, from the wrist and forearm together. The motion is small and quick, like flicking water off the pick.
• Strum through all six strings (or five for root-5 shapes). Do not try to pick out the three fretted strings; the muted strings are part of the sound.
• Strike between the end of the fingerboard and the neck pickup, further from the bridge than you would for single notes. The sound is warm and woody, not bright.
• Volume stays under the bass. If someone in the band can hear your individual notes, you are too loud. They should feel the beat and hear a texture.
• Heavier strings and a heavier pick help enormously; see lesson 1.1 on string choice. A flatwound set with a heavy pick is the standard compromise on an electric archtop.

The accent on 2 and 4

The hi-hat closes on beats 2 and 4 and the whole rhythm section leans gently that way. On the guitar this means beats 2 and 4 are very slightly louder and a touch longer, and 1 and 3 are lighter and shorter. Slightly: if a listener can hear it as an accent, it is too much. Think of it as weight, not volume. The notation below marks the accented beats so you can see the pattern; play it at the lowest dynamic contrast you can manage and still feel it.

\tempo 120
.
\ts 4 4
(3.6{st} x.5 3.4{st} 4.3{st} x.2 x.1).4{ch "G7"} (3.6{st ac} x.5 3.4{st ac} 4.3{st ac} x.2 x.1).4 (3.6{st} x.5 3.4{st} 4.3{st} x.2 x.1).4 (3.6{st ac} x.5 3.4{st ac} 4.3{st ac} x.2 x.1).4 |
(3.6{st} x.5 3.4{st} 4.3{st} x.2 x.1).4 (3.6{st ac} x.5 3.4{st ac} 4.3{st ac} x.2 x.1).4 (3.6{st} x.5 3.4{st} 4.3{st} x.2 x.1).4 (3.6{st ac} x.5 3.4{st ac} 4.3{st ac} x.2 x.1).4 |

Practise this with the metronome clicking only on 2 and 4 (set it to half your tempo and hear the clicks as 2 and 4). If your 1 and 3 are solid, the click will feel like a hi-hat; if they drift, you will hear the click move. This is the standard jazz metronome practice and it starts here.

Changing chords on the beat

Now put chords in. The change happens on beat 1 (or 3) and the stroke never stops: you are strumming a quarter-note pulse and the left hand changes shape between strokes. Here the I chord is a 6 chord, as the style wants.

\tempo 120
.
\ts 4 4
(3.6 3.4 3.3).4{ch "Gm7"} (3.6{ac} 3.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 (3.6 3.4 3.3).4 (3.6{ac} 3.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 | (3.5 2.4 3.3).4{ch "C7"} (3.5{ac} 2.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 (3.5 2.4 3.3).4 (3.5{ac} 2.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 |
(1.6 0.4 2.3).4{ch "F6"} (1.6{ac} 0.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 (1.6 0.4 2.3).4 (1.6{ac} 0.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 | (1.6 0.4 2.3).4 (1.6{ac} 0.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 (1.6 0.4 2.3).4 (1.6{ac} 0.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 |

The F6 shape on set 6-4-3 uses the open D string for the 6th. Open strings are fine in this style as long as the release still stops them; mute the open string by lifting the 1st finger onto it rather than relying on the fretting fingers.

The blues, four to the bar

This is the F jazz blues from lesson 4.2 played in time. The shapes are identical; what is new is that every beat is sounded. Play it at 100 bpm until the accent pattern is even through the chord changes, then raise the tempo in steps of 10 to 160 bpm. At fast tempos the right hand gets smaller, not faster: keep the stroke tiny.

\tempo 120
.
\ts 4 4
(1.6 1.4 2.3).4{ch "F7"} (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 (1.6 1.4 2.3).4 (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 | (1.5 1.3 3.2).4{ch "Bb7"} (1.5{ac} 1.3{ac} 3.2{ac}).4 (1.5 1.3 3.2).4 (1.5{ac} 1.3{ac} 3.2{ac}).4 |
(1.6 1.4 2.3).4{ch "F7"} (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 (1.6 1.4 2.3).4 (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 | (3.5 3.3 4.2).4{ch "Cm7"} (3.5{ac} 3.3{ac} 4.2{ac}).4 (1.6 1.4 2.3).4{ch "F7"} (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 |
(1.5 1.3 3.2).4{ch "Bb7"} (1.5{ac} 1.3{ac} 3.2{ac}).4 (1.5 1.3 3.2).4 (1.5{ac} 1.3{ac} 3.2{ac}).4 | (2.5 1.3 3.2).4{ch "Bdim7"} (2.5{ac} 1.3{ac} 3.2{ac}).4 (2.5 1.3 3.2).4 (2.5{ac} 1.3{ac} 3.2{ac}).4 |
(1.6 1.4 2.3).4{ch "F7"} (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 (1.6 1.4 2.3).4 (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 | (5.5 4.4 5.3).4{ch "D7"} (5.5{ac} 4.4{ac} 5.3{ac}).4 (5.5 4.4 5.3).4 (5.5{ac} 4.4{ac} 5.3{ac}).4 |
(3.6 3.4 3.3).4{ch "Gm7"} (3.6{ac} 3.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 (3.6 3.4 3.3).4 (3.6{ac} 3.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 | (3.5 2.4 3.3).4{ch "C7"} (3.5{ac} 2.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 (3.5 2.4 3.3).4 (3.5{ac} 2.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 |
(1.6 1.4 2.3).4{ch "F7"} (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac} 2.3{ac}).4 (5.5 4.4 5.3).4{ch "D7"} (5.5{ac} 4.4{ac} 5.3{ac}).4 | (3.6 3.4 3.3).4{ch "Gm7"} (3.6{ac} 3.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 (3.5 2.4 3.3).4{ch "C7"} (3.5{ac} 2.4{ac} 3.3{ac}).4 |

Rhythm changes, A section

"Rhythm changes" is the chord progression of George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm", the second most common form in jazz after the blues; the Basie band recorded dozens of tunes on it. The A section in Bb is, in numerals: I–vi | ii–V | I–vi | ii–V | I–I7 | IV–#iv°7 (or iv) | I–VI7 | ii–V. The version below uses the common simplification where bar 5 goes to the IV chord through its own ii–V (Fm7–Bb7) and bar 6 moves from IV to a minor iv. In the Basie style the I is a 6 chord and the vi may be played as VI7; this example uses Gm7 in bars 1 and 3 and G7 in bar 7 so you hear both.

The shapes sit between frets 5 and 10 so that the two-beat changes stay close: Bb on string 6 at fret 6, G on string 5 at fret 10, C on string 6 at fret 8, F on string 5 at fret 8, Eb on string 5 at fret 6. The one four-fret shift (I to vi) is typical of the style: Green moved along the 6th string constantly, and the release between beats gives you time.

\tempo 120
.
\ts 4 4
(6.6 5.5 5.4).4{ch "Bb6"} (6.6{ac} 5.5{ac} 5.4{ac}).4 (10.5 8.4 10.3).4{ch "Gm7"} (10.5{ac} 8.4{ac} 10.3{ac}).4 | (8.6 8.4 8.3).4{ch "Cm7"} (8.6{ac} 8.4{ac} 8.3{ac}).4 (8.5 7.4 8.3).4{ch "F7"} (8.5{ac} 7.4{ac} 8.3{ac}).4 |
(6.6 5.5 5.4).4{ch "Bb6"} (6.6{ac} 5.5{ac} 5.4{ac}).4 (10.5 8.4 10.3).4{ch "Gm7"} (10.5{ac} 8.4{ac} 10.3{ac}).4 | (8.6 8.4 8.3).4{ch "Cm7"} (8.6{ac} 8.4{ac} 8.3{ac}).4 (8.5 7.4 8.3).4{ch "F7"} (8.5{ac} 7.4{ac} 8.3{ac}).4 |
(8.5 6.4 8.3).4{ch "Fm7"} (8.5{ac} 6.4{ac} 8.3{ac}).4 (6.6 6.4 7.3).4{ch "Bb7"} (6.6{ac} 6.4{ac} 7.3{ac}).4 | (6.5 5.4 5.3).4{ch "Eb6"} (6.5{ac} 5.4{ac} 5.3{ac}).4 (6.5 4.4 5.3).4{ch "Ebm6"} (6.5{ac} 4.4{ac} 5.3{ac}).4 |
(6.6 5.5 5.4).4{ch "Bb6"} (6.6{ac} 5.5{ac} 5.4{ac}).4 (10.5 9.4 10.3).4{ch "G7"} (10.5{ac} 9.4{ac} 10.3{ac}).4 | (8.6 8.4 8.3).4{ch "Cm7"} (8.6{ac} 8.4{ac} 8.3{ac}).4 (8.5 7.4 8.3).4{ch "F7"} (8.5{ac} 7.4{ac} 8.3{ac}).4 |

Two notes are enough

Once the three-note version is clean, try Green's thinner texture: root and one guide tone. On set 6-4 that is root and 7th; on set 5-4 it is root and 3rd. The sound is almost pure rhythm, and it is what you want behind a pianist who is voicing full chords, or under a soloist who is playing a lot of notes.

\tempo 140
.
\ts 4 4
(6.6 5.4).4{ch "Bb6"} (6.6{ac} 5.4{ac}).4 (3.6 3.4).4{ch "G7"} (3.6{ac} 3.4{ac}).4 | (3.5 1.4).4{ch "Cm7"} (3.5{ac} 1.4{ac}).4 (1.6 1.4).4{ch "F7"} (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac}).4 |
(6.6 5.4).4{ch "Bb6"} (6.6{ac} 5.4{ac}).4 (3.6 3.4).4{ch "G7"} (3.6{ac} 3.4{ac}).4 | (3.5 1.4).4{ch "Cm7"} (3.5{ac} 1.4{ac}).4 (1.6 1.4).4{ch "F7"} (1.6{ac} 1.4{ac}).4 |

Exercises

1. Release drill: one chord, 60 bpm, five minutes. Press and release on every beat until the sound is uniformly short with no ringing between beats.
2. 2-and-4 metronome: the ii–V–I in F above with the metronome on 2 and 4 only, 100 to 140 bpm.
3. F blues, as notated, at 100, 120, 140 and 160 bpm. Record yourself and listen for an even quarter note; if 2 and 4 sound like a deliberate accent, reduce it.
4. Rhythm changes A section, as notated, then with every vi replaced by VI7, then in F (the same shapes five frets lower, with the I on string 6 at fret 1).
5. Two-note version of everything above.
6. Play with a record: pick any medium-tempo Basie track, find the key, and play four to the bar with it for the whole track. If you cannot hear whether you are in time, you are too loud.

Quiz