Contemporary Styles for the Jazz Pianist
New Complete Edition
John Mehegan

Introduction
HISTORY
It is now some seventeen years since the three volumes of CONTEMPORARY STYLES FOR THE JAZZ PIANIST first appeared.

After the tenth systems of the thirties (Wailer, Hines, Tatum, Wilson) and the shell systems
of the forties (Monk, Powell) we had all welcomed the VOICINGS of the fifties first
introduced by Cy Walter, “Red” Garland and Wynton Keliy.

These VOICINGS were later developed into a complete harmonic and rhythmic system by
Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal and Chick Corea.

The history of the VOICINGS goes back to the middle of the Nineteenth Century when the
first of the two forms (® FOR M) became associated with the music of Chopin and became
a characteristic sound of the period. The remaining form (® FORM) appeared in the
Twentieth Century and is usually associated with the music of Maurice Ravel.

As the student will quickly discover, the ® FORM is a permutation of the ® FORM(identified tones re-arranged); also, the ® FORM has a more modem sound than the older ® FORM.

The VOICINGS represented a magical solution to many probiems created by the Monk-Powell tradition.

The basic problem, in simple terms, was the monochromatic “sound” of bop --a two-note
third, seventh or tenth in the left hand supporting a single-note blowing horn-line in the right hand. This severe restriction of the incredible orchestral possibilities of the keyboard had to be abandoned in favor of a more colorful harmonic approach.

The VOICINGS solved a number of problems that had beset jazz pianists since the passing
of the elabòrate harmonic system of Art Tatum. The basic problem could probably be summarized as follows: how to concentrate the essential and ornamental factors of a chord in the left hand allowing the right hand the freedom of building an improvised line completely free of any vertical harmonic responsibilities.

The essential factors to be concentrated in the left hand were as follows:
1.The third ofthechord.
2.The seventh or added sixth of the chord.
3.The fifth of the chord in ø and o chords.
4.The ninth on all five qualities.
5.The thirteenth on all dominant chords.

The above table describes the essential harmonic factors all fulfilled by the VOICINGS. It is
of course apparent that since 1945 pianists have ceased to play root-position chords in the left
hand -- the root becomes the sole province of the bass player in a jazz group.

The basic ornament in jazz is the ninth which appears in all VOICINGS. The thirteenth is
limited to the dominant chord.

REGISTER
Another essential responsibility of VOICINGS is what pianists referto as REGISTER - the
left hand chord always appearing in the Middle Carea. Ifthese chords are too Iow, they sound
muddy; if they are too high, they sound shallow and also interfere with the right hand.

VOICE-LEADING
Finally, the important problem of VOICE-LEADING. VOICE-LEADING involves thé
smooth progression of the tones of one chord to the tones of the succeeding chord. The
VOICINGS solve these VOICE-LEADING problems and allow the pianist to concentrate on
:he creative aspects at his right hand improvised line. All of these aspects have endeared the
VOICINGS to contemporary pianists and seem destined to be with us for some time.

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