🧠 2 patterns, 14 chords (here's the full list)

Hey music makers!

Dave caught something I missed.

In last week's newsletter, I explained triad-over-root voicings using piano language. "Right hand plays the triad. Left hand plays the bass note."

Dave (a guitarist) replied: "Right hand? Isn't that the picking one?"

Right. I should've clarified.

But Dave also said this:

"Still good stuff to think about when writing bass lines to complement guitar."

That's exactly it.

For pianists: This is a complete voicing technique. Triad in right hand, bass note in left hand.

For guitarists: This highlights a bass line strategy. The triad is the chord you’re voicing. The bass note is your bass line.

Whether you're playing piano or writing for guitar, the principle is this: change the bass note under a triad, and you unlock different harmonic colors.

I love efficiency with triad-over-roots; you're not learning 14 chords. You're learning 2 patterns that multiply your options.

Last week I showed you 3. Today you get all 14.

Quick question before we start: Ever wonder why some progressions stick and others disappear overnight?
Take the 3-minute assessment →

Let's dive in.

Key: Bb minor

Progression: Bbm → Dbmaj7 → F → Gb → Gb6

Roman Numerals: i → bIII7 → V → bVI → bVI6)

This is a great chord sequence.

In the Challenge section below, you'll use this progression as your testing ground for the voicings you're about to learn.

Here's the efficient way to think about this:

You don't need to memorize 14 chords.You need to memorize 2 triads. Major and minor.

Then you move the bass note. Seven options per triad. That's it.

Two shapes. Fourteen possibilities.

Pattern recognition beats memorization every time.

Here's how it works:

PART 1: MAJOR TRIAD OVER ROOT (7 Combinations)

Take a C major triad (C, E, G) in your right hand.

Now move the bass note in your left hand:

The ones you already learned last week: C/D, C/F, C/A

PART 2: MINOR TRIAD OVER ROOT (7 Combinations)

Take a C minor triad (C, Eb, G) in your right hand.

Now move the bass note:

Key insight: In most pop music, you'll use major-triad-over-root combinations more often than minor. But knowing both gives you the complete toolkit.

And here's the technique that makes this work in real songs: voice leading. Moving smoothly from one voicing to the next. That's what creates professional-sounding progressions.

If you find it challenging to remember chords and voicings, take this quick diagnostic.

It's free, and helps you figure out three things:

✅ Where your retention is leaking (so you stop relearning the same progressions every week)
✅ Your biggest skill gap (is it retention, application, confidence, or practice design?)
✅ Your personalized growth path (the one system change that'll make the biggest difference right now)

👉 Take the assessment →

Takes 3 minutes. It could save you years of spinning your wheels.

P.S. Pattern recognition unlocks possibilities. Retention makes them stick. This 3-minute diagnostic shows you where your retention system is leaking, so you learn these voicings fast. Take the assessment and skip the struggle I went through.