Chord Voicings Explained

Pianists and guitarists change the order of the notes in chords - called voicing - to give the chords different effects. Above are two different guitar chord voicings of Cmaj7 and G7.

Chord voicings are the arrangement of notes in a chord (ie, which notes are on the top or in the middle). Piano and guitar are the instruments that play chords and are, therefore, the instruments concerned with voicings.

Every style of music has to deal with chords just as every style of music has to deal with voicings. The power 5 chord is as typical to heavy Rock music as the 13th chord is typical of Jazz.

Piano voicings have a great range of alternatives since both hands can contribute to the chord and to the order of notes in that chord. Notes that are omitted from chords create note arrangements that are also considered voicings.

Guitar has unique properties that create complexity for chords. “Jazz chords” usually use sets of 4 strings. These sets are organizations of strings such as strings 6432 or 5432. Within these sets, guitarists are trained to order notes and omit notes according to the harmonic context of a chord progression.

Voicings are often used to create a bass line or control the top note of a chord. This can be used for a vocal cue (the top note might be the vocalist’s first note), a solo melody and chord technique, or just for an effect. A voicing also may be chosen to help facilitate the transition from one chord to another chord.

The effective use of voicings is a fundamental skill for any musician charged with the reponsibility of playing chords and fulfilling a harmonic role in music.