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Gospel/Sus

C13sus Gospel Voicing — jazz piano voicing

True gospel C13sus - sus4 (F) + 13 (A) + b7 (Bb) + 9 (D); the b7 gives the dominant pull. F (sus4) resolves down to E (the 3rd).. Written in C. Below it, 11 transcribed voicings from the pianists it defines, both hands, note by note.

The shape

True gospel C13sus - sus4 (F) + 13 (A) + b7 (Bb) + 9 (D); the b7 gives the dominant pull. F (sus4) resolves down to E (the 3rd).

Gospel/Sus

Stored in C so it moves to any key; each note carries its role and its name.

The hands, in full

11 transcriptions across 4 players, oldest first.

Hard Bop era still life for Wynton Kelly: a ribbon microphone on a short boom, grille catching the key light.

Wynton Kelly

1931–1971

Swing & Blues · Swing Shells + Blues

Ultimate swing comper - bluesy shells, rhythmic drive, gospel-influenced minor voicings

C7 shell

Classic swing shell voicing: root-3rd-b7th in LH, RH free for melody

Crisp, rhythmic attack - on top of the beat for swing drive

Swing Shells

C9 blues

Blues comping with 6ths and 9ths: LH root-5th, RH 3rd-6th-9th

Double-stop 6ths (E-A) give bluesy color; slide into the 9th

Blues 6ths

Cm7 gospel

Gospel-influenced minor: LH root-5th, RH b3rd-4th-b7th with sus flavor

Let the 4th (F) resolve down to Eb or stay suspended for gospel color

Gospel Minor

Also reaches for Dom7 Rootless A.

Modal era still life for Keith Jarrett: an empty piano bench alone in a hall far too large for it.

Keith Jarrett

b. 1945

Modal Prayer · Quartal + Gospel

Modal prayer with open 5ths, quartal melody, breathy pedal

Fmaj9#11

Lydian #11 with planed 4ths in RH

Quartal

C13sus → C13(3)sequence

Gospel sus→3 slide (F→E)

RH F–A–D–E → E–A–D–E

Gospel/Sus

Pedal A

A pedal drone with quartal planing

Pedal + Quartal

D13sus → Gmaj9sequence

Sus resolution with guide-tone motion

LH D–A → Gb–Db–E–A

Sus Resolution

Also reaches for Dm11 'So What' Voicing and Maj7 Rootless A.

Contemporary era still life for Robert Glasper: a snapback cap resting on an electric-piano lid.

Robert Glasper

b. 1978

Hip-Hop Harmony · Gospel + Neo-Soul

Hip-hop harmony with wide Rhodes voicings, sus→3 slides, tritone subs

C13sus loop

Hip-hop pocket with sus→3 slide

4→3 slide (F→E)

Neo-Soul Sus

Half-step dom link: Cmaj9 → Db13#11sequence

Chromatic half-step dominant pull

LH E–B–D–A → F–C–E–B

Chromatic Dom

Backdoor: Bbmaj9 → Cmaj9sequence

Rhodes-style backdoor with wide voicing

Backdoor Rhodes

Also reaches for C7alt UST bII (Db minor triad) and Maj7 Rootless A.

Contemporary era still life for Gerald Clayton: a folded music score standing open on an empty stand.

Gerald Clayton

b. 1984 · USA

Gospel Soul · Gospel

Gospel soul + contemporary craft with sus→3 slides

F13sus → Bbmaj9 → G13 → Cmaj9sequence

Gospel conversation: LH shells; RH 4→3 slides and chromatic dom passes

RH 4→3 slides and chromatic dom passes

Gospel Conversation

Also reaches for Maj7 Rootless A.

Take it to the key you are working in

Everything above is in C, and nothing is held back — the notes are the notes. What a page cannot do is move the shape into the key of the tune on your stand, or run your own progression through it and play the result. That is what the Reharmonization Engine in the app is for.

Built from the app's own data: the grip from masterVoicingGrips, who plays it from pianistVoicingStyles, and every transcription frompianistExactVoicings. Nothing on this page was written about these pianists for the website.