DESCRIPTION:
Four Awesome Major Chord Voicings for Piano takes as an example the C major chord and presents four different useful, mature-sounding voicings, ranging from a closed cluster major chord voicing all the way to a very open, modern sounding voicing. These let you spice up your piano playing.

This chord voicing concepts presented in the current piano lesson are tightly tied in to an older video of mine discussing similar ideas, but in the context of minor (not major) chords:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay4ICu-TSzQ

What Four Major Chord Voicings are Shown?

Form 1: C G (LH), A B D E (RH)
Form 2: C G (LH), C D E G (RH)
Form 3: C G B (LH), D E G B (RH)
Form 4: C G D (LH), E B E (RH)
Form 4B: E C (LH), G C D G (RH)

Each of these voicings basically "dresses up" each chord with additional notes to enhance its frequency content:

Form 1: This is actually a Cmaj9 add 13
Form 2: This is a C add 2
Form 3: This is a Cmaj9
Form 4: This is a Cmaj9
Form 4B: This is a C add 2

Who is this Lesson Aimed At?

This lesson is aimed at piano players interested in expanding their major chord voicing vocabulary. Although some theoretical concepts are discussed throughout the video, YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ANY THEORY to make use of the forms presented! Just watch, listen and copy what I play, and enjoy! These chord voicings are not difficult to play and do not require any special piano technique.

Which Chord Voicing Should I Use?

The choice of voicing will be determined largely on the context: cluster (close-spaced) chords will tend to evoke a darker mood. The more open voicings might fit in with a more ambient setting. It's really up to you as a piano player to experiment with them in different settings. Many times switching between more closed / more open voicings will create an interesting musical contrast. For example: play the closed form (Form 1) C major chord voicing, and then switch to the open form (Form 4) for F major. Do not overuse any one particular form, or your listeners will get bored.

Don't forget, to use these ideas for piano you must practice, Practice, PRACTICE. Transpose each and every major chord voicing form to all possible chords. Be able to play all forms immediately, and you will be rewarded with the ability to switch between them on the fly, as well as begin to think for yourself on ways for coming up with additional ideas!

More About Chord Voicings from Wikipedia:

"In music composition and arranging, a voicing is the instrumentation and vertical spacing and ordering of the pitches in a chord (which notes are on the top or in the middle, which ones are doubled, which octave each is in, and which instruments or voices perform each). Which note is on the bottom determines the inversion. Voicing is 'the manner in which one distributes, or spaces, notes and chords among the various instruments" and spacing or "simultaneous vertical placement of notes in relation to each other.'"
For more, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voicing_%28music%29

Related Videos/Playlists:

My channel has many additional piano tutorial videos which I welcome you to check out. The main channel page is:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MangoldProject?feature=watch

Here's an interesting video about voicing the 2-5-1 progression:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zWoOLQgOks

How to modulate between keys using the 2-5-1 progression:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS3BUH_XA3Q

Learn to play Bach's Prelude in C major:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awfXBECOlTg

My playlist of inspiring piano harmony, chord and voicing tips and tricks:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP9cbwDiLzdIohD9iHFXzZIjfgoe0ETzm
(Inside you will find additional major chord voicing ideas for piano!)