how to voice chords
to voice a chord is to decide which octave each of its notes goes in, which note is on top and which notes are doubled or left out. the same Cmaj7 can sound tight, open, dark or bright depending on its voicing, so voicing is what turns the chord symbols in a score or lead sheet into notes a pianist, guitarist, band or choir can actually play.
- close voicing: the notes as near together as possible, within an octave.
- open voicing: the notes spread over more than an octave.
- the top note is heard most, so it should make a good melody from chord to chord.
- the fifth is the first note to leave out when you run out of fingers or players.
what is the difference between a chord and a voicing?
a chord is a set of note names, and a voicing is one arrangement of them. C major is C, E and G. played as C4–E4–G4 it is a close, root-position voicing; played as C3–G3–E4 it is an open voicing of the same notes, and it sounds fuller and calmer.
the bass note decides the inversion: with E in the bass it is C/E, first inversion, whatever order the upper notes come in.
common voicings, written out
the table spells the voicings jazz and pop players use most, for the three chords of a ii–V–I in C. notes are listed from the bottom up.
| voicing | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | what it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| close, root position | D F A C | G B D F | C E G B | learning the chord; sounds stiff in a band |
| shell (1, 3, 7) | D F C | G B F | C E B | left hand piano, or guitar; leaves room for a melody |
| shell (1, 7, 3) | D C F | G F B | C B E | alternates with 1-3-7 for smooth movement |
| rootless A (3, 5, 7, 9) | F A C E | B E F A | E G B D | piano with a bass player covering the root |
| rootless B (7, 9, 3, 5) | C E F A | F A B E | B D E G | the partner of form A, a few notes higher or lower |
| drop 2 | A D F C | D G B F | G C E B | guitar and horn sections; even, open spacing |
the rootless G7 voicings use the 13th (E) in place of the fifth, which is the usual jazz choice. a drop 2 voicing takes a close voicing and drops its second-highest note by an octave: close Cmaj7 is C E G B, and dropping the G gives G C E B.
moving from one voicing to the next
good voicings connect. keep notes that two chords share in the same voice, and move the others by the smallest step you can. in the ii–V–I above, rootless A for Dm7 (F A C E) moves to rootless B for G7 (F A B E) by changing one note, C to B, and then to rootless A for Cmaj7 (E G B D). that small movement is why the progression sounds smooth when a pianist plays it.
spacing rules that keep a chord clear
- wide at the bottom, close at the top. low notes need more room. a third low in the bass clef sounds muddy, while the same third in the treble sounds clear.
- no gaps over an octave between upper voices. in four-part writing, keep soprano and alto, and alto and tenor, within an octave of each other. the gap between tenor and bass can be wider.
- double the root. in a four-note triad, the extra note is usually the root. never double the leading tone (B in C major), because it wants to resolve, and two of them resolving makes parallel octaves.
- the melody on top. when a tune is playing, voice the chord below the melody note so the tune stays the highest line.
voicing for different ensembles
- piano: shell voicings in the left hand and the melody plus one or two chord tones in the right is a dependable start.
- guitar: drop 2 and shell voicings fit the hand; four notes is plenty.
- horn section: give each player one note of a drop 2 or close voicing, with the lead trumpet on the melody.
- choir: four voices in SATB, the root doubled, the leading tone single, and each part inside its range.
trying voicings in notei
notei is a music notation editor that runs in the browser. you can write chords on one staff or spread them over several instruments, play them back with sampled instruments to hear each voicing, and ask the built-in assistant to name a chord or explain why a voicing sounds muddy. it can also make edits you describe in plain words. writing whole parts from a chord chart, with arrange, is on notei+ and full score.
common questions about voicing chords
is a voicing the same as an inversion?
no. an inversion only says which chord note is in the bass: C/E is C major in first inversion. a voicing covers every note, its octave, its order and whether it is doubled, so one inversion can be voiced many ways, close or open, with different notes on top.
what is a rootless voicing?
a rootless voicing leaves out the chord's root, because a bass player is already playing it. the hands keep the third and seventh, which define the chord, and add the fifth, ninth or thirteenth. the two standard shapes, A and B, are listed in the table above.
which notes can I leave out of a chord?
the fifth first, because it adds the least colour. in a seventh chord the third and seventh are the most important notes, and the root can go if another instrument plays it. keep any note that is in the melody.
how do I voice chords for a choir?
write four parts, soprano, alto, tenor and bass, with the root in the bass and usually doubled once above it. keep each voice in its range, avoid gaps of more than an octave between the upper three, and move each part as little as possible from chord to chord. our band and choir guide lists the four ranges.
sources
- Open Music Theory: jazz voicings
- Open Music Theory: chords in SATB style (spacing and doubling)
- Open Music Theory: inversion
- Wikipedia: voicing (music)
this page is part of the how to write sheet music guide series. notei publishes it, and notei is our product. related: chord identifier, how to write a walking bass line, how to harmonize a melody and the notei assistant.
written and checked by the notei team. how these guides are written and corrected.