The grip, an octave down
Nothing about the naming changes in this register — the bass still assigns the chord. Tap a bass note (buttons, keys, or a MIDI keyboard) and hear the Type B spacing renamed.
Tap a bass note — the hand (B–E–F–A) never moves; the name does.
One hand, 6 chords: the readings
The interpretation table is identical to the Type A form — the readings belong to the pitch-class set, not the register. Three stars means every defining tone is present; a cross marks an avoid-note collision 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. |
Why two spacings exist
Alternating the two forms is what keeps a ii–V line from leaping: when the ii is voiced in one form and the V in the other, the connection costs a single semitone of motion. The demos below play the whole story — the motionless ii–V–tritone-sub, then the one-voice resolution between the spacings.
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.
Frequently asked
What is the Type B rootless voicing?
The Type B rootless voicing is the bass-register form of the major-scale grip — four notes voiced B–E–F–A from the bottom. It uses the same pitch classes as the Type A voicing (F, A, B, E) but drops the cluster an octave for a darker, more grounded sound under the right hand.
When do you use Type B instead of Type A?
Type B sits lower on the keyboard, which suits slower tempos, ballads, and situations where the melody is in the upper register and needs space. Type A's higher placement works better for up-tempo swing where the voicing needs to cut through. Both cover the same chord interpretations; the choice is timbral.
What bass notes work with the Type B voicing?
The three primary bass notes are G (producing G13), D (producing Dm6/9), and D♭ (producing D♭7♯9♭13 — the tritone sub). Secondary readings include F in the bass for Fmaj7(♯11), E for Esus(♭9), and B for Bm7♭5(11). These match the Type A readings exactly.