Major and Minor Shell Voicings

Major and Minor Shell Voicings…

Hello Bass Friends, hope everyone has centered themselves and focused in on your goals, short and long term. For this article I want to introduce you to the wonderful world of shell voicings. These are 2 note intervals of a major and minor 10ths, double stops. I find this is great way to open up your phrasing and help you start to add chords to your playing. These intervals are far enough away from each other that you can play them in the lower register of the bass without having the dissonance that will occur with larger chords in the same range.

Shell voice major 10ths:

G——-4—6—8
D—————-
A—————-
E——-3—5—7

Shell voice minor 10ths:

G—3—5—7
D————
A————
E—3—5—7