Chord Voicings Masterclass
Soloing and Comping in a Pianistic Style
About this masterclass
Canadian jazz master Lorne Lofsky teaches a pianistic approach to soloing and comping — the harmonically rich, two-things-at-once style that guitarists like Lenny Breau and John Stowell developed by drawing on pianists such as Bill Evans. Lorne builds the whole class from a few movable shapes, showing how to make the guitar imply a full rhythm section.
What's covered
- Quartal (fourth) voicings diatonic to the major scale: building them, moving them across string groups, and playing them on all the modes
- Adding melody notes on top of voicings — including two-note melodies for a Fender Rhodes-like spread
- Applying the voicings to ii–V–I progressions, with flat-9/flat-13 dominants, secondary dominants, and rootless shapes where the 3rd and 7th imply the bass
- Creating motion with side slipping, neighbor chords, and passing chords on static vamps
- Playing the concepts over a blues in G and Dorian/Mixolydian modal sounds (including the All Blues vamp)
- Open-string voicings, drone exercises, visualization, and other practice strategies that go beyond standard drop voicings
- A closing Autumn Leaves performance with the concepts explained
For advanced players who already know their drop-2 and drop-3 shapes and want a personal harmonic vocabulary beyond the textbook. Includes a 1-page PDF in standard notation. Full video is 1 hour and 34 mins.
Lessons in this masterclass
Full Video + Download
- 1Soloing and Comping in a Pianistic Style1h 34m
Quartal Harmony Basics
- 2Quartal Harmony - Voicings, Lines and Playing on Different Modes5m 5s
- 3Melodic Ideas on Top3m 26s
- 4All Blues - Dorian Sounds4m 40s
Applying Voicings to a II-V-I
- 5II-V-I Sound - Embellishing Chord Shapes8m 8s
- 6Playing Voicings on Lower Strings6m 24s
- 7Two Melody Notes on Top3m 42s
- 8Secondary Dominants7m 23s
- 9Dorian Mode2m 27s
- 10Side Slipping2m 55s
- 11Mixolydian Mode1m 54s
Creating Harmonic Movement
- 12Using Passing Chords2m 17s
- 13Blues in G2m 46s
Expanding Chordal Horizons
- 14Fourth Voicings Vs Standard Drop Voicings2m 45s
- 15More Like The Piano - Learning From Other Instruments4m 13s
- 16Classical Music Ideas and Exercises on Tunes4m 29s
Beyond Standard Practice Techniques
- 17Expanding Shell Voicings and Using Open String Voicings8m 19s
- 18Melody Harmony Relationship and Changing Bass with Open String Voicing Exercise5m 20s
- 19Random Bass Notes and Recording a Drone3m 7s
- 20Visualisation and Practicing Without An Instrument2m 39s
- 21Triads with a Drone Open String and Different Bass Notes and Other Exercises4m
Putting It All Together
- 22Autumn Leaves Performance4m 10s
- 23Explaining The Concepts Used5m 4s
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About the instructor
Lorne Lofsky →
Canadian guitarist Lorne Lofsky is a mainstay of the jazz scene in the Toronto area where he has been performing and teaching since the 70's. He has performed and recorded with Oscar Peterson, Ed Bickert, Ray Brown, Benny Carter, Chet Baker, Johnny Hartman, Bob Brookmeyer and Pat LaBarbara among many others. From 1983 to 1991 Lorne played in a quartet with Ed Bickert which yielded two fine recordings. From '94-'96 Lorne was a member of the Oscar Peterson Quartet. The group performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Sao Paolo, Brazil and numerous concerts throughout Europe. In addition, Lorne was featured on three CDs with Oscar Peterson. Over the years, Lorne has taught many clinics on jazz guitar and improvisation. He has been an Instructor at York University in Toronto since the late 70's, and has taught for several years at the University of Toronto. Lorne also has an extensive private teaching practice.

