Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner - Non Classical Is it only me or do tensions sound good only in upper voices

Is it only me, or do tensions sound good only, or at least mostly, in the upper voices?

Usually when I try incorporate tensions in the middle\lower voice, it's just sound like I'm playing another chord, which change the nature of the song\chord progression.

I guess there is a reason why tensions are also called "upper structure", but for some reason, I never saw in books which cover jazz music theory, that it is mentioned that tensions should be placed in the upper voices mostly.

No, this is a universal law arising from the acoustic structure of sound - the system of overtones.


In the first and second groups, only chord pitches are concentrated, starting from the third, tensions is added, and gradually not only all non-chord notes appear, but also sounds outside of any temperament.You can check the strength of the overtones if someone plays the lower 5 harmonics on the keys, and you simultaneously sit (just be careful!) on the right side of the keyboard.

Another question: where and how to place these tensions. Basically, tensions can be located at the top, middle and bottom of chords, with the exception of the bass register, where they are never placed - it just spoils the sound of the chord ;for example, Keith Jarrett loved voicing types like GCFABb - F#BEG#A , etc. This does not work in cases where there is a melody in the upper voice.
The middle register of the chord is the best for tensions: GDAB \ C # DF # B .
The tension in the lower part of the chords is suitable if the lower voice (not bass) is at least C3. This information is found in books on jazz arrangement.

I think you can add them anywhere if you work to make them sound good. Of course context is very important but a chord that could be very dissonant can be made to sound sweet with careful attention to playing the different notes at different volumes. There are some theoretical ‘low interval limits’ for different chord tones which I remember learning once but I forgot them as soon as I realised that real music doesn’t obey those rules. You have to just explore for yourself and find what works for you in the context of whatever it is that you are playing.

Yes and also beware of voice leading. It depends on what comes before and after. The chord might sound strange in isolation but in context it makes sense.

https://disk.yandex.ru/i/kUabiGJBMeBMMQ

Does everything sound good? Voice-leading is, of course, respected.

Context is everything. And tastes vary.

The taste is an elusive jelly, but we can talk about style and stylistic balance. Based on this, I see more stylistic homogeneity of Jarrett than the pianist in the video , including ups and downs.

Nobody does voice leading and voicing like Keith. Genius of the elusive jelly

In order for the upper structure notes to be heard as tensions they need to be supported by chord tones, especially 3 and 7 usually played below the tension notes.

You can intermingle the tensions with the chord sound to some extent but for the most part keep the tensions in your RH and the chord tones in the LH.

UST triads

Upper structures - it is not only based on the chord (dominant) 7, but also based on any triads or seventh chord ; we are simply talking about combinations of two groups of overtones (Richie Beirach talks about three): from the lower octaves and in higher ones, starting with the fourth in overtones system.

When I heard this recording for the first time, I began to constantly practice in this kind of playing . I highly recommend starting daily training with this.

I completely forgot about the book on my shelf:
UST Jazz Piano Chord Voicings Vol. 2: All possible triads of upper structures in the IIm7 V7 progression - by Ariel J.Ramos.

These chords are so nice. Wish my ears could pick out the notes better. Is there reference for explaining or
how to id advanced clusters?

I don't think you can explain it. There is no theory that can help play like this. I think Keith is just hearing the melody and some of the tonalities and leaving his hands to fill in some other notes. That he can make it sound so perfect is like magic.

In jazz pedagogy, there is a hierarchy of mastering jazz voicings (and there are also those who claim that jazz harmony doesn't exist - everything is borrowed from classical music!):

triads closed;
sevenths closed ;
sevenths with substitute tensions closed ;
open positions : drop 2, drop 3 , drop 2&4 ,spread .
upper structures;
clusters formed from combinations of chord and non-chord notes.

And all according to strict rules, avoid - non-avoid.


BS! What we hear from K. Jarrett is not chords or voicings but phonisms (sounds). Here are involved finger patterns and pre-hearing, and the reaction to what has already sounded, and the feeling of tensions and resolutions; and all this is at a subconscious level.

I began to try this, and record the result on audio. Interestingly, the sound changes over time, although each time the conscious control is turned off whenever possible.

https://disk.yandex.ru/d/ZXwkVDF0iQhhs
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/2_pGLqfB4X2ykQ

The interval between recordings is 6.5 years.

Pardon my ignorance (and pardon that I'm not a regular over here, which is why I don't know things like this) -- but what's "tensions"?

(Does it mean dissonances? Or just bringing out that voice stronger?)

Tritones and sevenths create dissonances, but are not considered in jazz as a tensions .
Chord tensions (in the textbooks) - non-chord steps of 9 (9b, 9 #), 11 (11 #), 13 (13b), which replace chord pitches one step lower and distributed between 7th chords so that they sound "good".

Thanks!

Chopin's mazurkas have a lot of 9th's, 11th's, and 13th's, but I don't know if those would fit what you're saying.

(I think Chopin's 11th's and 13th's are always in the top voice, and the 9th's almost always.)

In classical music theory, of course, there are categories of non-chord pitches that create dissonance; however, there are rules for both the preparation of such dissonance, as well as their mandatory subsequent resolution in the next chord pitches. These rules also apply to Chopin's music.
In jazz, dissonance is an indispensable element, which corresponds to dissonances in rhythm - syncopations . The roots of jazz dissonance are from Africa.