I’m creating the rhythm of the chords in the left hand and melody in the right hand. A great example of block chord playing is this recording of Robin’s Nest by Oscar Peterson. I probably wouldn’t use a blocked chord style until the middle, until the bridge. Mind Block chords by Stick Figure. Block chord style (also chorale style) uses simple chordal harmony in which "the notes of each chord may be played all at once" as opposed to being "played one at a time (broken or arpeggiated chords). Otherwise, it makes no sense. The song is in two halves, the form being ABAC (8-8-8-8). 1,141 views, added to favorites 80 times. Last edit on Jun 25, 2017. Pretty simple really. Block Chord Video Tutorial. Harmonically, the standard is interesting because it cadences through various keys before reaching the the home key of C only at the very end of the C section. How To Play Block Chords. Difficulty: novice. The first example alternates between C6 chords and dimished 7th chords: Block chords are effectively a way of harmonising a melody by having all the notes move in parallel. There are a wide variety of ways to do this. This is a very nice voicing to comp with and is quite easy to learn because you are just playing a left hand voicing, and then doubling the melody with … Block chord style (also known as chorale style) uses simple chordal harmony in which "the notes of each chord may be played all at once" as opposed to being "played one at a time (broken or arpeggiated chords). Then, scroll down for the notation and important extra tips. Was this info helpful? Block chords are a method of harmonising a melody line by moving all the notes of the chord in parallel, following the same rhythm as the melody. It’s a block-chord arrangement and taken at a faster tempo than usual for the haunting movie theme. Tuning: E A D G B E. Author punkerbean [a] 2,441. ... For example, here are a just a few types: Drop 2 voicings; For example, a person playing a guitar can strum the chord (this would be a "block" chord) or use a picking style to play "broken" chords". There are so many ways to utilize block chords, including harmonic substitutions and mimicking big band style sax solis, but we will just focus on this fantastic riff for intros and outros: Block Chord Riff Yes No. Enjoy. We'll look here at some of the most common, all examples of what is known as four-way close harmony. Only two chords throughout and the same strumming pattern throughout (with minor exceptions. For example, if I was playing Misty, I wouldn’t start with a blocked chord style. I’d do something like this. Why don’t you take 2 minutes and watch as Pete shows you how to play block chords inside a II-V-I chord progression. Harmonising melodies with block chords is also known as ‘locked-hands’ so be aware that these terms refer to the same thing. For example, a guitarist can strum the chord (this would be a "block" chord) or use a picking style to play "broken" chords". Similar to earlier block chord styles, the Red Garland voicing is often used to harmonise each note of a stepwise melody line.