BLOCK CHORDS

A block chord is a chord or express built directly beneath the melody

either on the downbeats or to create a four-part harmonized "locked-
hands" melody line [1] in unison with the rhythmic melody, compared
with broken chords. This latter style, known as voicing Shearing
(#Voicings), was popularized by George Shearing, but originated with
PhilMoore.

Block chord style (also choral style) uses simple chord harmony in
which "the notes on each string can be played only once" instead of
being "played one at a time (broken or arpeggio chords). For example,
a person playing a guitar might strum the string (this would be a
"block" chord) or use a picking style to play "broken" chords. [2].
Arpeggio notes are often grouped into chord blocks for ease of analysis.

Chord block and duplicate melody are easy to use in a melody line that
has a swing feel and strengthen the melody to separate that rhythmic
background melody. Block chords were used largely by jazz bands and
orchestras, such as those led by Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

In addition to George Shearing, Red Garland was an early jazz pianist

famous for his use of block chords. Garland would play 7 to 8 note
voicings, often embodying a string movement in the left hand, then an
octave in the right hand, with 1-2 notes in between. Good examples of
this can be heard on several recordings from his time with the Miles
Davis Quintet. Bill Evans is also remembered for his use of block chords
when playing in Miles Davis' band in 1958.

Summary
1 Voicings
1.1 Examples
2 Notes
3 Sources

Voicings
"A common way to harmonize songs' as you go on jazz piano (i.e., free
and flexible) is known as block chords: moving your hands in parallel,
providing one chord for each note of the melody. This often uses a
technique derived from the way jazz arrangers write for four horns
("horns" in jazz means saxophones, not the brass instruments of
classical music) or four trumpets: this is called four-way close. "[3]

There is a wide variety of voicings or methods:

Generic block chord describes those that simply follow the rule above.
Double melody (commonly called "Shearing voicing"), with an additional
fifth part that doubles the melody one octave lower.
Drop 2 (technically not a block chord) with the second voice from the
top incorporated an octave lower.
If the melody note is part of the string, the harmony notes are also
taken from the string.

This is a good technique if the melody note is diatonic (and not

chromatic) and uses decaying chords for notes that are not part of the
string. If the melody note is considered a passing signal, harmony is
created by either a minor chord or a chromatically changed chord.
Before creating harmonies, chords can be converted to 6th chords, but
this is not a rule.

Examples

The following is an example of harmonizing a C major scale with block

chords. This example uses three diminished chords on the D, F, and B,
and includes notes from an additional minor chord on G#. This creates
a balance in the harmonization of this scale, using all four existing
diminished chords.
This example demonstrates how a melody line (in F major) could be
locked chorded using each method.

"Voicing Shearing" is described as being achieved through playing the

melody with both hands, playing the appropriate chord below the note
of the right hand's melody and carrying out the melody with the left
[4].