the Teddy Wilson school
Stride Tenths
The swing-era left hand: root and third spread a tenth apart, under a right-hand chord.
All 12 keys
C major
Dm9 – G9 – Cmaj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
D♭ major (C♯)
E♭m9 – A♭9 – D♭maj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
D major
Em9 – A9 – Dmaj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
E♭ major
Fm9 – B♭9 – E♭maj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
E major
F♯m9 – B9 – Emaj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
F major
Gm9 – C9 – Fmaj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
G♭ major (F♯)
A♭m9 – D♭9 – G♭maj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
G major
Am9 – D9 – Gmaj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
A♭ major
B♭m9 – E♭9 – A♭maj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
A major
Bm9 – E9 – Amaj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
B♭ major
Cm9 – F9 – B♭maj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
B major
C♯m9 – F♯9 – Bmaj9
0 of 5 voices hold from ii to V · total resolve motion 34 semitones
The story
Before the bass player owned the low end, the piano's left hand was the rhythm section — and its signature move was the tenth: the root and the third stretched a tenth apart, striding under a right-hand chord. Teddy Wilson made it sing behind Billie Holiday, Art Tatum turned it into fireworks, and the whole swing-era piano tradition rests on it. Because the left hand carries a real root, these voicings sound complete and warm on their own, without a bass player — the opposite of the rootless modern grips. The reach is genuinely wide: a tenth is a stretch, and if your hand can't span it cleanly you roll it bottom-to-top, which is exactly how the old masters played it. Keep the left hand light and springy on the beat, let the right-hand chord fall just after, and the swing writes itself.
Listen: Teddy Wilson with Billie Holiday; Art Tatum's left hand; Fats Waller's stride.