FREE LESSON BOOK

VOICINGS
TOOLKIT #Part3

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This lesson book goes with the ‘Voicings Toolkit

#Part3’ video on @thekeyscoach Instagram page.

Kenny Barron
Born in 1943, Kenny Barron is an American jazz pianist
from Philadelphia. He's famous for playing in many jazz
recordings and is considered one of the most influential
jazz pianists since the bebop era.

Barron started his career playing with different bands

and musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Stanley
Turrentine, touring worldwide and recording albums.

He also co-led groups like Sphere and the Classical

Jazz Quartet. Barron is highly acclaimed, nominated for
Grammy Awards, and elected into the American Jazz
Hall of Fame.

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FREE LESSON BOOK: VOICINGS TOOLKIT #PART 3 03

minor 11
A minor 11 chord contains the root, third, fifth, seventh,
ninth, and eleventh.

Adam Saunders It creates a rich, warm sound often used in various genres of
Founder music.

Bbm11

Bb Db F Ab C Eb

The ninth and eleventh are referred to as extensions. These

extensions are additional notes added to the chord to create
richer and more complex sounds.

Extensions are always derived from the major scale of the root
note, even if the chord itself is minor.

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FREE LESSON BOOK: VOICINGS TOOLKIT #PART 3 04

Kenny Barron voicing

The Kenny Barron voicing is made up of a series of stacked fifths, with a semitone in
the middle.
Right Hand
Bbm11
Db Ab Eb

Bb F C

Left Hand

On Bbm11, the semitone falls between the C natural and the Db.

Practice this voicing in all twelve keys - there are many ways to approach this.

Exercise 1 (Chromatic)

Bbm11 Bm11 Cm11 Dbm11 Dm11 Ebm11

Em11 Fm11 F#m11 Gm11 Abm11 Am11 Bbm11

Practise playing these voicings as block chords, and you could also try arpeggiating them.
You could also practise playing them with a metronome - start slow and then build up speed.

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Kenny Barron voicing (continued)

Exercise 2 (Minor 3rds)

Another way to practise this voicing is to move the shape down in minor thirds. There
are three positions to do this, which in turn covers all degrees of the chromatic scale.

This is the practice method demonstrated in the video.

Bbm11 Gm11 Em11 Dbm11

1)

Bm11 Abm11 Fm11 Dm11

2)

Cm11 Am11 F#m11 Ebm11

3)

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FREE LESSON BOOK: VOICINGS TOOLKIT #PART 3 06

Get Creative!
Whenever you learn a new voicing - it’s useful to find a
creative context to use the shape right away.

Write a short four or eight bar sequence that uses the

voicing in lots of places.

Here is the eight-bar sequence played in the video:

Bbm11 Gm11 Em11

C#m11 Bbm11 Gm11

Em11 Ebm11 Dm11

Click here to download a free resource pack containing a

midi file and playalong track.

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Hi! 👋
It’s Adam here!

Thanks so much for checking out this lesson book! I hope you find I
useful!

If you’re interested in more of this type of content, keep an eye on ‘The

Keys Coach’ Instagram and YouTube Channel - there is lots of content
coming your way soon!

In the meantime, check out my Podcast! Each week I chat with a

professional keys player about their journey in music.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, then this is the

podcast for you!

New episodes are released every Thursday!

Available on all streaming platforms.

Happy practising!

Adam

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