ChordGrind
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ChordGrind

Shell Voicing ii–V–I Trainer

Shell voicings strip a 7th chord down to its root and guide tones — the 3rd and the 7th. Through a ii–V–I those two notes barely move: the 7th falls a half step to the next 3rd, the 3rd holds as the next 7th. Drill two-hand shells (left-hand root, right-hand 3rd + 7th) and Bud Powell half shells (root + 3rd or 7th in the left hand alone) through all 12 keys, along with a metronome or checked live on a MIDI keyboard.

C majorShell · 3–7
Press Start (or Space) and play along: ii and V a beat each, I for two.

Settings

Voicing

  • Shell · 3–7: LH root, RH 3rd + 7th (3rd below to start)

Watch the guide tones: the 7th of each chord falls a half step to the 3rd of the next, and the 3rd stays put as the next 7th. One bar per key with a bar of count-in. Change the start key or order any time.