Freddy Green Chords
Who is Freddie Green?
Freddie Green was a guitarist best known for his “shell voicings.” Since he always (or at least mostly) played in a big band, he had to adapt and couldn’t play the usual guitar chords. In a big band, all ranges like bass, high notes, etc. are already covered. So the guitar had to fill the gap left open by other instruments.
What are Shell Voicings?
The so-called “shell voicings” consist only of a third, a seventh (one of which is always the guide tone), and a root.
These chords therefore consist of only three notes:
- Major 7 = 1, 3, 7
- Dominant 7 = 1, 3, b7
- Minor 7 = 1, b3, b7
Unlike in rock music, where sometimes entire songs are played with just the root and the fifth (power chord or power chords), in blues and jazz the fifth can simply be omitted. The fifth is relatively unimportant and only needs to be played if it is explicitly stated or written, such as in a minor7b5 chord (b5 = diminished fifth).
Chord Diagrams
As always, there are two bass strings that we use to play chords. Therefore, we should also know the Freddie Green chords once with the bass on the E string and once with the bass on the A string.
Bass Note on E String
Bass Note on A String
Muting
The most difficult part of the whole thing is muting the unused strings. The finger playing the root note (in the A string variation) can mute the open E string, and the rest of the fingers can be placed so that the high strings (e, b, and possibly g) no longer ring.
