“Moon River” – Harmonising The Melody
In this lesson we delve into extended chord theory and examine how extended chord voicings can be applied to the tune “Moon River”. We also explore harmonising step-wise melodies using 3rd and 6th intervals.
Understanding Chord Extensions
We begin by exploring the concept of chord extensions using the first chord in the song – the Cmaj7 chord. When we extend past the 7th of the chord to access the chord extensions which are the 9th, the 11th, and the 13th. These tones are used to add more colour and interest to our chord voicings when playing jazz piano.
To learn more about extended chord theory, check out our dedicated course on chord extensions where we explore the theory in more detail.
Major Chord Extensions
We examine the specifics of major chord extensions and discuss raising the 11th by half a step to avoid dissonance created between the major 3rd and natural 11th. We introduce various voicing techniques and hand positions to create a balanced and clean sound in our extended chord voicings.
Harmonising The Melody with 3rds & 6ths
The melody line written on the lead sheet of “Moon River” is a single note melody line. However, we can ‘harmonise the melody’ with 3rd and 6th intervals to create a bigger sound in our right hand. This technique works particularly well over the 10th interval voicings that we play in our left hand and allows us to command a bigger range of the piano.
Related Lessons
The Kenny Barron voicing is an minor 11th chord voicing built from 5th intervals. The voicing is names after acclaimed jazz pianist Kenny Barron.
Extended chords create a richer and more complex sound than triads and 7th chords and are used to create more interesting progressions.
The Herbie Hancock voicing is a rich-sounding, two-handed minor 11th chord. A perfect choice when the 9th is in the melody over minor chords.
Practice Tips
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Experiment with the extended chord voicings options for the Cmaj7 chord.
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Move the melody one octave higher to create more space for our chord voicings. We demonstrate arpeggiating the notes of the Cmaj7 chord.
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Practice harmonising the melody in 3rd intervals and 6th intervals. This works particularly well with step-wise melody lines.
