Niklas Andreasson dot se
Chord Voicings
In the beginning of the essay on chord theory, I defined what a chord was, namely three different notes sounding together or close to it. Actually, there is a qualifier.
More specifically, a chord is composed of three or more pitch classes. A pitch class is a collective way to describe notes without having to specify the register, or octave. This means that in actual music, a chord can consist of any number of doubled notes in whichever octave. So long as the root note is the bass note, it remains a root-position chord.
A chord voicing is one particular way to take the pitch classes that are given by chord theory and play them on an actual musical instrument. All the following chords are root-position C major triads:
The foremost concern when constructing a chord voicing is which notes to double, and in which register. Doubling the root note obviously reinforces the tonal identity of the chord. Doubling the third reinforces the minor/major character. And doubling the fifth adds fullness to the chord. On the guitar or piano, another consideration is whether the chord is playable or not. Furthermore, guitar players tend to want to include as many open strings as possible, because of the clearer sound.
If you study chord voicings on the guitar or the piano, or even in orchestral music, take a closer look at how the lower-register notes are distributed. Closely-spaced triads are more effective when voiced in a higher register, whereas they sound like mud in the bass. This has to do with the harmonic overtone series, where the lower notes have overtones in the audible range, which overtones therefore collide. Therefore, guitarists, pianists and orchestrators make sure that the bass register handles only the simpler intervals, e.g. the octave and fifth. On the guitar, you will notice that the most successful voicings are root-5th-root-3rd-5th or variations thereof, e.g. the moveable E or A shapes.
