Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
Shell voicings are reduced version of complex extended chords like Cmaj7#5, D7b9 sus4, Galt, F7#5#9 and so on. With these shell voicing shapes – these simple reduced version of these complex chords – will make that you can play any Jazz standard or any complex chord progression in a very straightforward, yet very efficient way.
How do we do that? Well… we will play only the most important notes of the chords. And those are the tonic, the 3rd and the 7th degree and we leave out any extension and altered 5th. I will show you in this video how that really works.
With sell voicings we’ll create 8 simple chord shapes that can be used for all the complex chords you come across. Just eight 3-note shapes and you’re done. You can play every Jazz standard and every difficult piece of music, regarding chords and comping with these simple 3 note shapes. It’s almost too good to be true. Only it’s very real and…very convenient indeed!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diagrams e-booklet:
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/shell-voicing-diagrams
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-books with audio files:
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Easy arpeggios for sophisticated results
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/e-book-easy-arpeggios-for-sophisticated-sounds
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Improvising over dominant 7 chords (using scales)
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/e-book-improvising-over-dominant-chords
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Modes of the major scale crystal clear
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/e-book-modes-of-the-major-scale-crystal-clear
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Exotic Pentatonic scale for Guitar
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/exotic-pentatonic-scales-for-guitar
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Modes of the harmonic minor scale
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/modes-of-the-harmonic-minor-scale
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Secrets of outside playing
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/secrets-of-outside-playing
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Superimpose Pentatonic scales
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/superimpose-pentatonic-scales-for-rock-fusion-and-jazz
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Traids and inversions for Guitar
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/triads-and-inversions-for-guitar-easy-to-advanced
-----------------------------
0:00 Introduction
1:04 What are shell voicings?
2:34 Subjects in this video
4:16 Chord building recap
7:05 Shell Voicing shapes
12:22 The II – V – I
16:33 Pros and cons
19:01 Jazz standards
22:15 Chromatics and tritone substitution
24:24 Extending shell voicings
25:52 Final thoughts and bonus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can support me on my patreon page (also for tabs of the licks played in this video): patreon.com/QJamTracks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artwork: (c) 2021) Rob van Hal
Thumbnail photo: Strandbergguitars.com
Used:
Strandberg Boden Prog NX (www.strandbergguitars.com)
Ibanez JEM 7vb (www.Ibanez.com)
Ibanez RT
Ibanez SD GR Bass (www.Ibanez.com)
Schecter Banshee GT FR (schecterguitars.com/)
Takamine GD930 (www.takamine.com)
Castilla Classical Guitars
Samson Concert 99 Wireless system
Rode Microphone
Axe FX II (www.fractalaudio.com)
BIAS FX (www.positivegrid.com)
Social Media/contact:
patreon.com/QJamTracks
facebook.com/QJamTracks
instagram.com/QJamTracks
youtube.com/QJamTracks
(c)2021 Rob van Hal, Netherlands
Subjects in this video:
Shel voicings,
Shell voicing,
Shell voicings,
Jaz chords,
Jazz chords,
Extended chords,
Chord theory,
Playing jazz,
Jazz for guitar,
Guitar jazz chords,
How to play jazz chords,
Jazz standards,
Blue Bossa,
One note Samba,
All the things you are,
The II V I,
II V I explained,
Jazz chords explained,
Shell voicings explained,
Maj7 chord,
Min7 chord,
Dominant 7 chords,
Diminished chords,
Augmented chords,
Altered chords,
Music theory lesson guitar,
Music theory,
Guitar tutorial,
Guitar lesson,
Rob van Hal,
QJamTracks,
Q Jem tracks,
Q jam tracks
Shell voicings are reduced version of complex extended chords like Cmaj7#5, D7b9 sus4, Galt, F7#5#9 and so on. With these shell voicing shapes – these simple reduced version of these complex chords – will make that you can play any Jazz standard or any complex chord progression in a very straightforward, yet very efficient way.
How do we do that? Well… we will play only the most important notes of the chords. And those are the tonic, the 3rd and the 7th degree and we leave out any extension and altered 5th. I will show you in this video how that really works.
With sell voicings we’ll create 8 simple chord shapes that can be used for all the complex chords you come across. Just eight 3-note shapes and you’re done. You can play every Jazz standard and every difficult piece of music, regarding chords and comping with these simple 3 note shapes. It’s almost too good to be true. Only it’s very real and…very convenient indeed!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diagrams e-booklet:
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/shell-voicing-diagrams
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-books with audio files:
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Easy arpeggios for sophisticated results
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/e-book-easy-arpeggios-for-sophisticated-sounds
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Improvising over dominant 7 chords (using scales)
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/e-book-improvising-over-dominant-chords
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Modes of the major scale crystal clear
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/e-book-modes-of-the-major-scale-crystal-clear
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Exotic Pentatonic scale for Guitar
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/exotic-pentatonic-scales-for-guitar
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Modes of the harmonic minor scale
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/modes-of-the-harmonic-minor-scale
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Secrets of outside playing
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/secrets-of-outside-playing
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Superimpose Pentatonic scales
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/superimpose-pentatonic-scales-for-rock-fusion-and-jazz
-----------------------------
E-BOOK - Traids and inversions for Guitar
qjamtracks.myshopify.com/products/triads-and-inversions-for-guitar-easy-to-advanced
-----------------------------
0:00 Introduction
1:04 What are shell voicings?
2:34 Subjects in this video
4:16 Chord building recap
7:05 Shell Voicing shapes
12:22 The II – V – I
16:33 Pros and cons
19:01 Jazz standards
22:15 Chromatics and tritone substitution
24:24 Extending shell voicings
25:52 Final thoughts and bonus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can support me on my patreon page (also for tabs of the licks played in this video): patreon.com/QJamTracks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artwork: (c) 2021) Rob van Hal
Thumbnail photo: Strandbergguitars.com
Used:
Strandberg Boden Prog NX (www.strandbergguitars.com)
Ibanez JEM 7vb (www.Ibanez.com)
Ibanez RT
Ibanez SD GR Bass (www.Ibanez.com)
Schecter Banshee GT FR (schecterguitars.com/)
Takamine GD930 (www.takamine.com)
Castilla Classical Guitars
Samson Concert 99 Wireless system
Rode Microphone
Axe FX II (www.fractalaudio.com)
BIAS FX (www.positivegrid.com)
Social Media/contact:
patreon.com/QJamTracks
facebook.com/QJamTracks
instagram.com/QJamTracks
youtube.com/QJamTracks
(c)2021 Rob van Hal, Netherlands
Subjects in this video:
Shel voicings,
Shell voicing,
Shell voicings,
Jaz chords,
Jazz chords,
Extended chords,
Chord theory,
Playing jazz,
Jazz for guitar,
Guitar jazz chords,
How to play jazz chords,
Jazz standards,
Blue Bossa,
One note Samba,
All the things you are,
The II V I,
II V I explained,
Jazz chords explained,
Shell voicings explained,
Maj7 chord,
Min7 chord,
Dominant 7 chords,
Diminished chords,
Augmented chords,
Altered chords,
Music theory lesson guitar,
Music theory,
Guitar tutorial,
Guitar lesson,
Rob van Hal,
QJamTracks,
Q Jem tracks,
Q jam tracks
