Two notes. That's all you need to comp through Blue Bossa.

Shell voicings strip everything down to the 3rd and 7th — here's how they work over the ii-V-i in C minor.

Shell voicings are the secret weapon of great jazz compers. By stripping a chord down to just the 3rd and 7th, you reveal the voice leading that makes harmony move.

In this excerpt from our full Blue Bossa Shell Voicing Study, we focus on the ii-V-i in C minor — one of the most important progressions in jazz.

Dm7b5 — The 3rd (F) and b7th (C) define the half-diminished sound. This is your ii chord, the starting point of the resolution.

G7 — The 3rd (B) and b7th (F) form the tritone that drives the resolution back to Cm7. Over a G7b9, these two notes still do the heavy lifting.

Listen for how the 3rds and 7ths resolve stepwise into the next chord. That smooth voice leading is what separates comping from just playing chords.

The full lesson covers every chord in Blue Bossa across both key centers — C minor and Db major — with shell voicing diagrams, practice progressions, and voice leading guidance for every change.