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Bill Evans Rootless

Dom7 Rootless B — jazz piano voicing

Dominant 7 rootless B - LH b7–9–3–13. Written in C. Below it, 13 transcribed voicings from the pianists it defines, both hands, note by note.

The shape

Dominant 7 rootless B - LH b7–9–3–13

Bill Evans Rootless

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

Same family: Maj7 Rootless A, Maj7 Rootless B and Dom7 Rootless A.

The hands, in full

13 transcriptions across 3 players, oldest first.

Stride era still life for Art Tatum: a table lamp with a fringed shade, its light the only thing in the room.

Art Tatum

1909–1956

Stride Virtuoso · Stride + Chromatic

Stride virtuosity with chromatic upper-structure sparkles, passing diminished chords

Cmaj6/9 stride

Stride: LH C–G–C; RH E–A–D, passing diminished chords between targets

Passing diminished chords between targets

Stride + Chromatic

C6 stride tenths

Signature Tatum stride with tenths (C-E) in LH, full chord in RH

LH plays root-10th on beats 1 and 3

Stride Tenths

C#dim7 passing

Chromatic passing diminished between C and Dm - classic Tatum device

Passing diminished connects I to ii

Chromatic Passing

Cmaj7 locked-hands

Block chord (locked-hands): melody E5 doubled at E3, inner voices close

RH plays close-position chord under melody, LH doubles melody octave below

Locked-Hands

Also reaches for Maj7 Rootless A.

Modal era still life for Bill Evans: a pair of round spectacles folded on the fallboard.

Bill Evans

1929–1980

Rootless Pioneer · Rootless

Rootless A/B voicings - the foundation of modern jazz piano comping

Cmaj9 (A)

Classic rootless A-form (3-5-7-9), top voice on 9

Rootless A

Dm9 → G13 (Type A)sequence

Type A guide-tone motion, RH keeps top stepwise

LH F–A–C–E → F–A–B–E

Rootless A

Cmaj9#11 (UST II)

Upper-structure triad II over maj9

Upper-Structure Triad

Backdoor Bbmaj9 → Cmaj9sequence

bVII→I backdoor resolution

LH Bb–D–A → E–B–D–G

Backdoor

Soft 6/9

Soft transparent 6/9 grip

Rootless

Also reaches for Dom7 Rootless A, Maj7 Rootless A and Maj7 Rootless B.

Contemporary era still life for Brad Mehldau: a closed hardback book left spine-up on the piano lid.

Brad Mehldau

b. 1970

Contrapuntal Complexity · Rootless + UST

Contrapuntal complexity with rootless voicings + upper-structure triads

G13b9 (V/ii alt)

Altered dominant with Ab triad (bVI)

Upper-Structure Triad

Cmaj9 → Emaj9 (mediant)sequence

Mediant modulation, RH maintains melodic top

LH E–B–D–G → G#–D#–F#–B

Mediant

Dm9 → G13 (A-form guide-tone link)sequence

Counterpoint 10ths with guide-tone linkage

LH F–A–C–E → F–A–B–E

Rootless A

Axis Amaj9 ↔ Cmaj9

Mediant axis with triads over bass

LH C#–G#–B–E ↔ E–B–D–A

Mediant Axis

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