Quartal Voicings

Alberto Betancourt (albetan)

A new field in harmony is to build chord structures in fourths (quartals).
It produces a more open harmony and is a very practical resort for pianists.
Left hand plays chord vocing in fourths.
There are four quartal voicings in each chord for left hand:
In upper staff: Take notes of C scale in fourth intervals departing from B.
All are notes of extended C chord: 7, 3, 13, 9, 5, 1.
In lower staff do quartal voicings departing from 3, from 13, from 9, from 7.
Notice the quartal arpeggio from E to C : all notes of C pentatonic scale.

œ œ
C
œ œ œ œ œ œ
&‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
ww ww
ww w 13 ww w 7
?w 3 w 9
w w w w

EXERCISE: Practice these four voicings in all tonalities:

œœ œœ Db œœ œœ
œœ œœ œœ œœ œ
C

? œ œ œ œ
œ œ bbbbb œ nnnnn##
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

œœ œœ œœ Eb
œœ œœ
œœ œ œœ
D

? ## œ œ œ nnbb œœ œ œ nn n # # # #
b œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
2 Quartal Voicings

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœ œœ
E F

? #### œœ œ œ nnnnb œ œ #n # # # #
œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #

F# œœ
œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœ
G

? #### # œ œ n œ œ
# œ œ œ
œ
œ œ n nnn# œ œ
œ
œ
œ œ
nbb b
b

Ab
œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œ œ
A

? bb b œ œ œ nn n n # # # œ œ œ œ nnnbb
b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

Bb œœ œœ
œœ œœ
? b b œ œœœ œ œœœ
œ
B

œ
œ
œ
œ nn # # # # # œ œœœ œ œœ œ
œ
œ
œ

Diatonic Quartals or Modal Fourths:

If we work with natural notes of diatonic scale, we have diatonic quartals or

Modal Fourths..
 Quartal Voicings 3

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœ œœ œ
& œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ ?

œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœ œœ œœ
? œœ
Experiment with diatonic quartals: Db7 in bar 5 is a substitute chord for G7.
œœ œœ D b7
œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ b bb œœœ ˙˙
D m7 G7 C F G7 C

? œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ ˙ Œ
œ œ œ œ œ bœ
&
œ œ œ

II V I in diatonic progressions:
Most of pieces are in diatonic progressions. Then use diatonic quartals.
In II we are using quartal vocing with 3rd up, V7 with 13 up, and I with 9 up.

Follow this exercise in all tonalities.

œœ œœ E b m7 A b7 Db œœ œœ D ˙
D m7
œœ G7
œœ
C
˙˙ ˙˙
E m7 A 7
œ nn n n # # œ œ œ ˙˙
? œ
œ
œ ˙ Œ bbbb
b œ œ
œ ˙ Œ n œ Œ& n n
œ œ œ œ

Inverted quartals:
We may invert quartal voicings:

& ˙˙˙ œœœ œœœ ˙˙ œœœ œœœ ˙˙ œœœ œ ˙˙ œœœ ?

˙ ˙ œœœ
˙ œœ

So an inverted quartal is equal to a fifth interval, adding a major second from

top or from bottom.

EXERCISE: Practise all inverted quartals.

4 Quartal Voicings

?
Diatonic circle with quartals:
Do a diatonic circle with bass and play quartal voicings with right hand.
In minor and halfdiminished chords try to play seventh and third into quartal.

˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ
?Œ ˙ œ Œ ˙ œ Œ ˙ œ Œ ˙ œ
C F B m7b5 E m7

?w w
w w

˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ
?Œ ˙ œ Œ ˙ œ Œ ˙ œ Œ ˙ œ
A m7 D m7 G7 C

?
w w
w ˙. œ

Practise diatonic circle with quartals in all tonalities.

When you perform quartal voicings, you are working with a more open harmony.
In LearnJazzPiano you will find a special "room" for quartals with good
exercises written by 7.

Good luck and enjoy piano accompaniment with quartals.