Rootless Voices and Voicings w/ omitted notes

[bjlane]

I'm starting to look into rootless voicings, and voicings that omit "needless or redundant" tones.

At our church, I play my squier strat with a drummer, and beginning bass player, and a Gretch guitar tuned to open E.  We, at the moment, play 95% tradition/congregational (1,4,5) songs.

I'm wanting to add some flavor to the musical base by playing extended chords.  However, I'm wanting to use 3 or 4 note chords, which give me no choice but to selectively ommit tones.

My knowledge of ommited tones are limited to the following:

1. Root can be ommited............Bass player has that covered
2. The 5th tone of the chord can be ommited...........if it is not altered
3. The 3rd tone of the chord can be ommited...........if a suspended 2 is being used

I'm curious as to what voicing that you've found to your liking.  Also, where have you found to be good places to use them.

Thanks

[4hisglory]

I'm starting to look into rootless voicings, and voicings that omit "needless or redundant" tones.

At our church, I play my squier strat with a drummer, and beginning bass player, and a Gretch guitar tuned to open E.  We, at the moment, play 95% tradition/congregational (1,4,5) songs.

I'm wanting to add some flavor to the musical base by playing extended chords.  However, I'm wanting to use 3 or 4 note chords, which give me no choice but to selectively ommit tones.

My knowledge of ommited tones are limited to the following:

1. Root can be ommited............Bass player has that covered
2. The 5th tone of the chord can be ommited...........if it is not altered
3. The 3rd tone of the chord can be ommited...........if a suspended 2 is being used

I'm curious as to what voicing that you've found to your liking.  Also, where have you found to be good places to use them.

Thanks

This "is not" correct.  You can no omit the 3rd.  The two most import notes are the 3rd and the 7th. 

The 3rd will tell you if you chord is minor or major.

[JayP5150]

Generally, the root will be in there SOMEWHERE, but maybe just not in the lower register of your voicing...

The 3rd will determine if the chord is major or minor, but, yes, can be omitted (if playing root/5th power chords, or octaves, for instance). If a part needs to be DISTINCTIVELY major or minor, you'll need that 3rd somewhere.

The 5th... hmm... I'm sure there are tons of voicings that do not use the 5th (again, octaves), but I'm not sure that you'll keep enough structure without it--what am I trying to say... I guess it would be easy to confuse a 5th-less voicing as another... ahh, I don't know what I'm saying.  I just picked up my acoustic, and after a few little plucks... yeah, throw that 5th out... lol

As for the second part of your post, I tend to just use smaller pieces of larger chords when looking for sparse sounds.

Such as, in an E-shaped barre, just using the fingering formed on the the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings of the "full" chord etc. If that even makes sense.

For instance, you need an Am7? hit this:

----
-8--
-5--
-7--
----
----

That's just the root, 3rd, and the 7 (actually, the b7).

Anyway, that's how I roll. I'm not wicked-technical, honestly.

I'm sure the theory gurus will be in here shortly lol 

[JayP5150]

This "is not" correct.  You can no omit the 3rd.  The two most import notes are the 3rd and the 7th. 

The 3rd will tell you if you chord is minor or major.

LOL, you got in before me.

Actually, the guitarist can omit the 3rd, as it's normally covered by the keys or organ. See above.

[jlynnb1]

This "is not" correct.  You can no omit the 3rd.  The two most import notes are the 3rd and the 7th. 

The 3rd will tell you if you chord is minor or major.

that's not entirely true. if the 3rd is introduced via the other instruments, or even by the vocal harmony, you can get by no tplaying a 3rd. i personally like not using a 3rd in alot of situations.....just playing a 2 chord or a root-5 diad or something when others are playing major chords fills the sound out without sounding clutterd.

[4hisglory]

LOL, you got in before me.

Actually, the guitarist can omit the 3rd, as it's normally covered by the keys or organ. See above.

Yeah, I was just thinking in terms of chords themselves and the instruments he said was at his church.  If you have enough instruments there are tons of things you can do.

[lilBB]

and i believe playing with double stops which i use frequently doing little fills sometimes omits 3rds and so on...

[gtrdave]

As was already said, you CAN omit the third and do just fine if another melodic instrument/voice covers it OR if you want to remove major or minor centricity (sure, it's a real word), allowing the melody instruments to wander between major and minor if so desired.

It's very jazz. 

[JayP5150]

As was already said, you CAN omit the third and do just fine if another melodic instrument/voice covers it OR if you want to remove major or minor centricity (sure, it's a real word), allowing the melody instruments to wander between major and minor if so desired.

It's very jazz. 

Or like I've mentioned before, just turn up, and make every iv and v chord a 9 or 7#9, forcing everyone else to follow, or they'll sound like they're off lol...

[jlynnb1]

Or like I've mentioned before, just turn up, and make every iv and v chord a 9 or 7#9, forcing everyone else to follow, or they'll sound like they're off lol...

all the while glaring at them like they aren't playing it right, lol.

works everytime.