the Bill Evans school · ii–V–I in G♭ (F♯) major
Rootless Voicings — B Form in G♭ 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 |
|---|---|---|
| A♭m9 | G♭ – B♭ – C♭ – E♭ | ♭7 · 9 · ♭3 · 5 |
| D♭13 | F – B♭ – C♭ – E♭ | 3 · 13 · ♭7 · 9 |
| G♭maj9 | F – A♭ – B♭ – D♭ | 7 · 9 · 3 · 5 |
Why it works
From A♭m9 to D♭13, a single voice does all the work: G♭3 falls a half step to F3 while the other 3 notes hold. That stepwise pivot is the engine of the progression. Into G♭maj9, 3 voices settle by step (total motion of just 5 semitones). Smoothness here is measurable, not a metaphor.
G♭ major puts 8 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 F3 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 D♭ and headed to B. Say the chord symbols out loud as you play; naming and hearing are different skills, and you want both.
Where G♭ major lives in the repertoire
G♭ major is the deep end: six flats, almost no standards natively in the key, and a spelling quirk — the voicing here may contain C♭ or F♭, which sit on white keys despite the flats. Players who work through G♭ report the same surprise Irving Berlin institutionalized: the black-key terrain is actually comfortable once the eye stops panicking. This is the key that proves you really know the shape.
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: ← D♭ · G♭ · B →