Shell Voicing

A chord voicing that contains the root, third, and seventh of the chord, with no fifth. In some cases, the root may be omitted as well. These sparser voicings are often used by blues and jazz players in busier arrangements, or in ensembles where there are many players as shell voicings take up less room in a dense arrangement and allow more space for other players and for soloing. Since the third and the seventh define the quality of the chord (major seventh, minor seventh, etc.), and the root is generally covered by the bass, just those two notes are enough to outline the harmony.