IV3 beats
Dmaj9
noteAC♯EF♯Dchord57931key13564finger12355·1
1
IV
practice app · all 12 keys · piano, tempo and metronome
Modern Pop Voicing —Octave Fillers
by Jason Zac · Nathaniel School of Music
Two bars: three rich chords in your right hand, octaves in your left, and two beats at the end for you to fill — in octaves. Pick a key, press play, and play along. Then take it round all twelve keys.
“So let's all use the app together.”Jason Zac
Playback needs JavaScript. Everything below still reads without it: the loop in A major, its four chords, and the chords in every key.
Amajor
Dmaj9IV
A C♯ E F♯ / D
5·7·9·3
F♯m7(11)vi
A B E A / F♯
♭3·11·♭7·♭3
E(add4)V
A B E G♯ / E
4·5·1·3
Bm7(11)ii
A D E F♯ / B
♭7·♭3·11·5
1Pick a key
All twelve, each with its own key signature. The chords, the notation and the piano follow.
Ticks stay on this device.
2The chords
Dmaj9 is 5 · 7 · 9 · 3 counted from its root D — that template moves to every key.
Big numbers count from each chord's own root. Small print: the number in the key, and the finger. Copper is your right hand, teal the left-hand octave.
vi1 beat
F♯m7(11)
noteABEAF♯chord♭311♭7♭31key12586finger11355·1
Thumb covers A and B together — two white keys, one finger.
V2 beats
E(add4)
noteABEG♯Echord45131key12575finger11355·1
Thumb covers A and B together — two white keys, one finger.
iiextra
Bm7(11)
noteADEF♯Bchord♭7♭31151key14562finger12355·1
An extra chord to try — choose where it goes.
3The loop
Press ▶ Play to hear it, or Your turn to play the right hand and the filler yourself over the left hand and the click. Four clicks count you in.
Dmaj9 three times, F♯m7(11) once, E(add4) twice — then two beats for the filler. Land on beat 1; Dmaj9 comes back on beat 2.
Lick 1 · A B A E → F♯ · in octavesland on 1 — the chord comes back on 2
← swipe the notation sideways →
2
IV
IV
3
IV
IV
4
vi
vi
1
V
V
2
V
V
3
fill
fill
4
fill
fill
pedal — lift on each change, down again as you place the chord
4The filler
Beats 3 and 4 of bar 2 are the gap. Fill them in octaves, keep the pedal down for the filler, and land on beat 1. Play the chords softer so the octaves shine through.
÷2 · quavers — four notes
÷3 · triplets — six notes
÷4 · semiquavers — eight notes
or leave the gap for you
Lick 1 · ÷2 · quavers
A B A E → F♯
A1B2A1E5 low→F♯6 low
Small numbers: the note's number in the key. Over E(add4) that's 4 · 5 · 4 · 1, landing on the 3 of Dmaj9 on beat 1.
5Metronome
Just the click — for your own practice. Same tempo as the loop.
70bpm
6Your twelve keys
Tick each key once the loop goes round without a stop. 0 of 12
| done | key | IV · vi · V · ii | left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fmaj9 · Am7(11) · G(add4) · Dm7(11) | F · A · G | ||
| G♭maj9 · B♭m7(11) · A♭(add4) · E♭m7(11) | G♭ · B♭ · A♭ | ||
| Gmaj9 · Bm7(11) · A(add4) · Em7(11) | G · B · A | ||
| A♭maj9 · Cm7(11) · B♭(add4) · Fm7(11) | A♭ · C · B♭ | ||
| Amaj9 · C♯m7(11) · B(add4) · F♯m7(11) | A · C♯ · B | ||
| B♭maj9 · Dm7(11) · C(add4) · Gm7(11) | B♭ · D · C | ||
| Bmaj9 · D♯m7(11) · C♯(add4) · G♯m7(11) | B · D♯ · C♯ | ||
| Cmaj9 · Em7(11) · D(add4) · Am7(11) | C · E · D | ||
| D♭maj9 · Fm7(11) · E♭(add4) · B♭m7(11) | D♭ · F · E♭ | ||
| Dmaj9 · F♯m7(11) · E(add4) · Bm7(11) | D · F♯ · E | ||
| E♭maj9 · Gm7(11) · F(add4) · Cm7(11) | E♭ · G · F | ||
| Emaj9 · G♯m7(11) · F♯(add4) · C♯m7(11) | E · G♯ · F♯ |
how to practise
- Start slow. 40 or 50 bpm is fine — speed up once the loop goes round without a stop.
- Left hand first: octaves on the roots. If octaves are tricky for now, play just the roots.
- Chords soft, filler loud — so the octaves shine through.
- Pedal: lift between the chord and the filler, and lift again as you come back to the chord.
- Recover on time. Land on beat 1 — there is no time to wait. “And this exercise is also about recovery.”
- Octaves hard? Play the filler with single notes first.
- Keep changing the voicing — especially the second chord. Then make up your own filler.