If you are looking to create a big sound in your piano playing, please consider watching this short video on using both hands to voice 7-note chords. By using 3-notes in the right hand — 2 of the 3 playing the melody in octaves — and a 5th/4th inbetween, combined with 4-notes in the left hand which include at least two “color tones” such as 7ths, 9ths, etc. , you can conjure up a really BIG sound that makes the melody stand out while at the same time giving it a very contemporary “jazz” sound.

But don’t feel bad if you can’t pull it off right away. You wont master this by next Tuesday, as it is one of the more complex ways of voicing chords.

If you play in a trio with bass and drums this is a great style to use. If you play solo, you will need to occasionally establish the root feeling of the chord by playing the root of the chord down low and then jumping up to the chord itself.

Have you browsed our catalog of piano courses at www.playpianocatalog.com ? Lots of helpful stuff there!