Riff
Curriculum

2-Month Neo-Soul Voicing: Caressing the Chord

For players who've finished chord_building and solo_scale and now want to caress chords like neo-soul

This is a 2-month neo-soul voicing capstone for players who've finished chord_building and solo_scale. Neo-soul isn't about gripping chords — it's about caressing them: coloring with tension, sliding with chromaticism, blurring with ornaments. With one signature vamp, Dm9→G13, as your stage, you'll learn to draw a 'sound' out of a chord.

Month 1 grips the vamp with mid-range voicings (a rootless feel where the bass takes the root) and colors that same vamp with tension, chromatic approach, and top-note melody. Month 2 layers ornament and groove with double-stop smears, grace notes, and laid-back swing 16ths to finish and record a full neo-soul comping piece you play on your own.

Feel comes before memorizing shapes — movement, ornament, and feel first. By the end you'll meet a version of yourself who caresses chords and sings in neo-soul.

Your progress
0%
0/28 days done
The first neosoul grip — the Dm9 voicing A warm dominant — the G13 voicing Linking the two grips — Dm9 to G13 changes The signature vamp — Dm9 to G13
The 9th's color — add9 and m9 The 11th and 13th — the roof of tension The tension of sus4 → the resolution of the 3rd Complete! The tension vamp — Dm9 → G13sus → G13
The Ab13 grip — the half-step-above approach chord Ab13 → G13 — the half-step slide approach Inserting the approach into the vamp — Dm9 → Ab13 → G13 Complete! The chromatic approach vamp — Dm9 → Ab13 → G13
Voice leading — keep the common tones, move the minimum Top-note recognition — find the highest note in the chord Top note as melody — move the highest note like a song Complete! The top-note melody vamp — a song over Dm9 · G13 (Month 1 complete)
First step of the b3→3 smear — bleeding color with one half step A smear on two notes — bleeding a 3rd / 6th double-stop An ornament lick between chords — slipping a smear into the vamp Complete! The b3→3 smear lick — an ornament that bleeds a half step (Week 5 complete)
Grace notes give a chord expression — a short front note bleeds into the target Pull-off descending ornament — notes flow down in a stream Ornamenting a chord — an expressive Dm9 with one front note Complete! The pull-off descending grace lick (Week 6 complete)
16th comping grid + muted cutting Laid-back — sitting behind the beat Swing-16 feel — sticky comping Complete! The laid-back Dm9 comping groove (Week 7 complete)

Channels

Follow along for practice videos and updates