Find the Shell Chords on Keyboard

The short answer: Find the Shell Chords drills shell voicings — the lean root-3-7 (or root-7-3) forms of maj7, min7 and dom7. Points scale with speed. Shells drop the 5th and keep only the notes that define a chord's quality, which is exactly how jazz pianists comp with the left hand.

What the game is

You get a shell chord to find on the keyboard — just the root, 3rd and 7th. Stripping a chord to its essentials teaches you which notes actually carry its identity.

What it teaches

• Three-note shell voicings for the main 7th chords.
• The 3rd and 7th as the notes that carry a chord's identity.
• Efficient left-hand comping.

Why it's cool

Two or three notes can imply a whole chord — the 3rd and 7th do almost all the work, and the 5th is often dead weight. Shells are how pianists say more with less, and they sound instantly professional.

Where to start

Read seventh chords explained and the shell-voicing keyboard course. Know your 7th chords first.