"Drop" voicings

Tagged: voicings

This topic contains 3 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Rick Stone 9 years, 4 months ago.

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November 11, 2015 at 8:52 pm #2760

Jeff
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I have been reviewing drop 2, drop 3, drop 2&4, etc., voicings on paper out of Mick Goodrick’s book. Books are great but they don’t talk about what things sound like. Do you have any material/advice on these types of voicings? I have skimmed over many of your lessons and do not see anything that specifically addresses drop voicings, although it may be addressed within some other topic.

I have tried some voicings of a maj7 chord for example, that have all the right notes on paper but just does not sound like a maj7 chord to me. Example: Drop 2 voicing of Cmaj7 inversion E-B-C-G
November 12, 2015 at 3:14 pm #2761

Rick Stone
Keymaster

Jeff,

Thanks for writing.

Have you looked at the Chord Construction Workshop series? In it, we start with a drop-2 voicing of a diminished 7th chord, then show how to create 4 different dominant 7ths from that chord (by lowering one-note at a time). Then we learn how to convert these to major 7th, minor 7th, 6th, minor 6th, etc., and how to add the color notes (9ths, 11ths, 13ths, altered 5ths, etc.). Finally you’ll learn how to use these chords in IIm7 V7 I progressions and turnarounds (which make-up about 90% of the harmonic content of most jazz standard tunes).

If you do all the assignments in those lessons, you’ll work through everything pretty methodically. And the drop-2 voicings on strings 1-2-3-4 of the guitar can easily be converted to drop-3 voicings simply by moving the note on string 1 to string 6 so that you have a drop-3 on strings 2-3-4-x-6 (the 5th string will be muted).

Drop-2 voicings will always be on 4 consecutive strings on the guitar, so there are 3 possible string sets. After you’ve worked out strings 1-2-3-4, you should learn them on strings 2-3-4-5, and finally 3-4-5-6.

Drop-3 chords on the guitar will always have a muted string between the first 3 voices and the bass note, after you’ve worked out string set 2-3-4-x-6 learn to play them on strings 1-2-3-x-5.

I’m not quite sure what you mean about E-B-C-G not sounding like a Cmaj7 chord. It’s pretty common to play it in an inversion like that. But of course chords are often more than one thing and it largely depends on the context (for instance, I use the one we’re talking about here as an Am9 all the time).

Try putting the chord in a IIm7 V7 I progression:

Dm9 – F-C-D-A
G7b9 – F-B-D-Ab
Cmaj7 – E-B-C-G

I think that will probably help you to hear it.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Musically Yours,
~ Rick
November 12, 2015 at 4:38 pm #2762

Jeff
Participant

Thanks Rick, I’ll check out that area. Looks like I have my work cut out for me

I’m not quite sure what you mean about E-B-C-G not sounding like a Cmaj7 chord.

I don’t think it sounds bad, just doesn’t sound like what my ear has experienced as what a maj7 sounds like all these years. Also the B and C together seem (to me) to be an unusual choice, since we are often told to “avoid” a 1/2-step dissonance. New territory to explore.
- November 12, 2015 at 4:57 pm #2763
  
  Rick Stone
  Keymaster
  
  The half-step dissonance is more of an issue if it’s between the melody and the 2nd voice of the chord (although that’s exactly what Thelonious Monk plays on the Ebmaj7 at the end of the 2nd A section Round Midnight, it is pretty dissonant and not what you usually want on a major 7th chord).
  
  When it’s between the 2nd and 3rd voice, or 3rd and 4th voice, it can sound really nice though. You do usually want to soften it with a third, fourth or fifth above the half-step (that’s the secret to those Bill Evans voicings).
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