Play Better Chords with the Kenny Barron Piano Voicing

PDF for this lesson here: www.taylorflemingmusic.com/ed...
Today on Taylor'ed Tuesday we talk about The Kenny Barron Voicing. The Kenny Barron voicing miraculously makes a dense harmonic structure into an open, full, and elegant chord. In this lesson we talk about the myriad ways of using it for different styles and musical contexts. This voicing is great for creating intros, chord melodies, movement in modal settings, and more.
This voicing was made "jazz famous" by the great jazz piano player Kenny Barron. Ive been diving into Kenny's back catalog and hearing that he used this voicing a LOT. It never gets old.
In the first half of the video we talk about building and practicing the Kenny Barron Voicing.
In the second half of the video we get into the more advanced (but fun) harmonic concepts and ideas. Feel free to skip ahead to Part 3 at your own risk!
Lesson Highlights and Timestamps
Part 1. Building the Kenny Barron Voicing - 01:40
Part 2. Ways to Practice - 04:00
Part 3. Approaches to Tonal Application (practical uses) - 08:20
Part 4. Modal Uses - 10:20
Part 5. Progressions and Harmonizing Melodies - 11:00

[@rebanelson607]

I'm glad the KZbin algorithm sent this to me. Love the sound of this voicing. Thanks for an excellent lesson. Subscribing!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

I'm excited to share more with you!

[@fabiancosster2992]

This is a good lesson what i like most is the alternate voicing and many ways to practice these voicings many many thanks and keep posting more videos like this GodBless you and your family

[@taylorflemingmusic]

The alt voicings I think are great for harmonizing other notes in the melody. Bless you back!

[@billbachjazz]

Great share brother!!!

[@markyachnin1901]

This is a fantastic voicing and fantastic lesson! Thank you.

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Thank you for watching!

[@eddiefiscella]

Great video, I never knew this voicing before

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Eddie Fiscella it’s a favorite!

[@TheHBaer]

Just found your channel now, Taylor. Marvelous introduction to these beautiful voicings. Thank you for sharing!!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Welcome! I'll look forward to sharing more with you.

[@sirrobinhood3409]

This voicing reminds me of Lyle Mays. Tremendous lesson. Thanks for your fine work in making this video!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

High compliment! Thanks for watching

[@adamsmith7058]

Probably because he used it a few times. Can't recall which tunes at the moment, as it's a been while since I last listened to him. It's a great voicing though.

[@pantamgo]

Super nice!! Thanks

[@ducreuxclemence4650]

Love it!!!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Merci, Clémence!

[@sumithramachandranwatchyou5045]

Beautiful 😻

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Thank you! 😊

[@glenirvine6161]

Excellent content…very well presented. Congratulations and thank you. Regards

[@rdettwyler]

Dude. Nice one, like it like it.

[@JohnColonnaMusic]

Nice lesson, thanks Taylor!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@jazzsecrets]

Great lesson, nice to revisit this great master, simple and beautiful.

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Thank you for the kind words! Kenny is amazing

[@pemusikgereja]

very helpfull ❤👍

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Very glad to help :)

[@davidbloom2940]

Very clear, nicely done video. David Bloom Bloom School of Jazz

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Thank you for the kind words, David!

[@osvaldosanguinet7758]

Saboooooorrrrr !!! Valiosimo gracias !

[@AlexJ-sv4ic]

Super dope sick and nasty, yet voluminous and dankly ephemeral

[@adamsmith7058]

I've used this voicing a few times and while you can't really find a way of using this voicing with a dominant it works well when you use a quartal voicing for the dominant along side it. With appropriate voice leading of course. That combination of quintal and quartal creates a kind of impressionistic, open, ambigous feel, redolent of Debussy.

[@taylorflemingmusic]

I totally agree! I was frustrated finding dominant qualities with this structure..and you can find at least one but it’s just not satisfying to me. I do however use this voicing as the 2 chord in a major 2-5-1 and it works very well when voice led..as you said :)

[@arckanon13]

Wonderful wonderful lesson! Thank you so much. Added a lot to my vocab :) good explanation, application & use of sheet music/synthesia keys

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Im very glad! thanks for watching

[@arckanon13]

@@taylorflemingmusic also question. Do you omit the root on this when comping with a bassist?

[@taylorflemingmusic]

@@arckanon13 Quick answer, yes you would usually leave the root out in a jazz context, but rules are made to be broken :). Longer answer is that when you're playing with a bass player, they are already occupying a lot of the low frequencies. So to sonically stay out of their way you can leave out notes in the lower register of the piano. SPECIFICALLY intervals that would break the lower interval limit (LIL). Adam Neely breaks this concept down really well, check out his explanation. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4iZiph6f9CfnrM Let me know if you have any other questions!

[@liriosanz]

Buenísimo

[@nicolasfrugier558]

In the triads cascading exercice, the grip of the left hand becomes the next grip of the next right hand chord

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Great observation! I love this

[@philsarkol6443]

Thank you for this insight in these wonderfull voicings. I think with only this, I can be occupied for a year...the overall sound is great. Maybe I can sound a bit better after a year. These lessons and this information wasn't readily available say, 30 years ago before the internet and YT. Again thx!!!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Phil that is very sweet of you. I'm glad it helped! keep playing!

[@Pamdemonium177]

Polo is an amazing instructor! Took him in Spain and he revolutionized how I view the piano. Great video Taylor!

[@jazzsecrets]

Who's polo ?

[@Gerard_2024]

@@jazzsecrets Maybe he's referring to Polo Ortí , but I am only guessing...

[@juanfernandez-bacatoledo7032]

Hey! I just saw the video and notice that other option to build those chords are, as you said, left hand tonic, fifth and ninth and for the right hand just think on the mayor triad a tone below the tonic for the minors (adding the minor 3th) and, for the mayors, a minor triad half tone below (adding the major 3th). That helped me learning those chords, hope someone too!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Great way of thinking about it. I find we need to make connections like you described here to help the learning process.

[@juanma170394]

I loved the video! such a beautiful color this chords have. I play guitar, playing the whole chords is close to impossible for most tonics, but you can divide it and play what the right or the left hand plays separately for some nice textures. I also tried playing it melodically as an arpeggio for some really interesting lines. You can play a Em11 using this voicing on the guitar using open strings, and its the most epic Em11 chord on the instrument

[@taylorflemingmusic]

I was hoping someone would explain this! Really cool to hear. I love hearing instrumentalists exploring concepts outside of their instrument...makes for an original sound!

[@elizeumonteiro9060]

Estou falando do Brasil gostei demais do seu vídeo cara já ganhou meu like e minha inscrição

[@Ivan_1791]

7:55 Funny to see I used this sequence 2 years ago in a composition before you posted this video haha.

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Haha music is funny that way. It can be emergent!

[@georgearthurmantiri]

😀🙏👍

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Can you do this voicing on your instrument? I want to hear a vocalist sing this arpeggio.

[@fabiancosster2992]

What i really miss is the free PDF could you make a free PDF of this topic? That would be great

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Hi Fabian! I've just posted the link to the PDF in the description, feel free to use!

[@srigato]

Very fine!! But is possible to buy the slide s?

[@taylorflemingmusic]

I appreciate you asking! I've just posted them on my website...link in the description!

[@paulbouma9021]

I would love to make your charts part of my practice routines. Can you tell me where to find them?

[@taylorflemingmusic]

I would be happy to send them to you! do you have an email I can send to? send me a private message!

[@taylorflemingmusic]

I've updated the chart, if youd like a fresh PDF, the link is in the description!

[@allentrujillo9608]

N ;

[@jamesmitchell6925]

Your voice is soooooo much louder than everything else. Unwatchable.

[@taylorflemingmusic]

Thanks for letting me know!