The grip
One fixed hand shape. Learn it once and let the bass do the naming. The keyboard lights the four notes you hold; tap any bass note underneath — buttons, keys, or a MIDI keyboard — and hear the same motionless hand become a different chord.
Tap a bass note — the hand (F–A–B–E) never moves; the name does.
| Notes (close voicing) | E–F–A–B |
|---|---|
| Parent scale | Major scale (C major contains E–F–A–B) |
| Symmetry | None |
| Readings | 6 functional, 7 total |
One hand, 6 chords: the readings
Every row below is the same four notes with a different bass underneath. The intervals are computed from that bass, so the chord name is arithmetic, not opinion. Three stars means every defining tone is present; two stars means one key tone is implied; a cross marks an avoid-note collision that no bass rescues.
| Bass | Intervals | Chord | Rating | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | R · 3 · ♯11 · maj7 | Fmaj7(♯11) | ★★★ | Home form. Root position. F Lydian. |
| G | 9 · 3 · 13 · ♭7 | G13 | ★★★ | The workhorse rootless dominant. |
| D | 9 · ♭3 · 5 · 13 | Dm6/9 | ★★★ | Dorian. The ♭3 and 6th are both present; no ♭7. |
| D♭ | ♯9 · 3 · ♭13 · ♭7 | D♭7(♯9,♭13) | ★★★ | Altered dominant. Tritone sub for G7. |
| E | R · ♭9 · 11 · 5 | Esus(♭9) | ★★ | Phrygian color. No 3rd, no 7th. |
| B | R · 11 · ♭5 · ♭7 | Bm7♭5(11) | ★★ | ♭3 is implied, not present. |
| C | 3 · 11 · 13 · maj7 | None | ✗ | Natural 11 vs. 3rd. Avoid-note clash. |
One hand, a whole ii–V — and the tritone sub
The reason this grip earns its place: with the hand motionless, walking the bass D → G → D♭ plays a full ii–V and then substitutes the tritone dominant — the physical proof that D♭7 and G7 share the tones that matter. Below it, the second demo shows why voice leading between the two spacings costs one semitone.
The hand never moves. ii, V, and the tritone sub are all bass changes.
One voice moves a semitone (C→B); three voices hold. That is the whole ii–V.
Why the bass names the chord
The four notes are rootless: the root is never inside the shape. When a bass note lands beneath the grip, the intervals from that bass to each held note spell out a chord quality. Move the bass and the same physical hand becomes a new chord. The readings that keep every defining chord tone present are the functional ones; the rest supply modal color.
Frequently asked
What is the major-scale grip?
The major-scale grip is the four-note rootless voicing E–F–A–B, a subset of the Major scale (C major contains E–F–A–B). ii · V · tritone sub, one motionless hand. The root is never inside the shape: the bass note supplies it and thereby names the chord.
What chords does the major-scale grip spell?
6 functional readings come from the one shape: Fmaj7(♯11) (over F), G13 (over G), Dm6/9 (over D), D♭7(♯9,♭13) (over D♭), Esus(♭9) (over E), Bm7♭5(11) (over B). Each is produced by placing a different bass note under the same fixed hand.
Why does one hand shape have several names?
A chord name is a relationship between the notes and a bass. Each of the twelve possible bass notes reinterprets the same four intervals, and the readings that keep every defining chord tone present are the functional ones listed above.
What is the strongest reading of the major-scale grip?
With F in the bass the grip is Fmaj7(♯11): intervals R · 3 · ♯11 · maj7. Home form. Root position. F Lydian.