the Bill Evans school · ii–V–I in A major
Rootless Voicings — B Form in A Major
The audio adds each chord's root in the bass — that's the context these rootless shapes are designed to sit in. The MIDI file is exactly the notation.
The notes
| Chord | Notes (low → high) | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Bm9 | A – C♯ – D – F♯ | ♭7 · 9 · ♭3 · 5 |
| E13 | G♯ – C♯ – D – F♯ | 3 · 13 · ♭7 · 9 |
| Amaj9 | G♯ – B – C♯ – E | 7 · 9 · 3 · 5 |
Why it works
From Bm9 to E13, a single voice does all the work: A3 falls a half step to G♯3 while the other 3 notes hold. That stepwise pivot is the engine of the progression. Into Amaj9, 3 voices settle by step (total motion of just 5 semitones). Smoothness here is measurable, not a metaphor.
A major puts 7 of the 12 notes on black keys, so the hand rides high on the keyboard — many players find these grips easier to grab here, the way Irving Berlin could only play in F♯. The lowest note is G♯3 in the octave below middle C.
Practice tip: play the progression rubato first and listen for the held tones, then put the metronome on 2 and 4 at a slow tempo. When the grab is automatic, move around the circle of fourths — you are coming from E and headed to D. Say the chord symbols out loud as you play; naming and hearing are different skills, and you want both.
Where A major lives in the repertoire
A major belongs more to guitars than to the songbook, which makes it a stealth weakness for pianists: it appears mid-tune (the bridge of many rhythm-changes contrafacts touches it) and at jam sessions led by singers who count off "same tune, up a half step". The grip is friendly — two sharps under the hand — the surprise is only ever the unfamiliarity.
About this voicing style
The same rootless grammar inverted: 7th on the bottom, for the keys where A form sits too low. Read the full story and get it in all 12 keys →
Listen: Bill Evans comping on "Autumn Leaves" (Portrait in Jazz); Kenny Barron's left hand on ballads.
Around the circle
Practice keys in the order bassists walk them — up a fourth: ← E · A · D →