Part 6/11:
Compound Fifths and Their Usage
Rick demonstrates "compound fists" or "compound fifths," which are sequences of perfect fifths, creating an "open" sound without a clear tonal center. An example would be playing F-C-G-D-A-E, which produces a shimmering, ambiguous harmonic texture. These voicings are akin to suspended or no-root chords, frequently used in modern jazz, film scoring, and contemporary classical music.
He discusses how these fifth-based chords are used extensively in jazz tunes like Eddie Harris's Freedom Jazz Dance, which employs only perfect fourths, fifths, and related intervals, giving it a distinctive, modern character.