Introduction to Drop 2 Chord Voicings

[Pete Martin]

I just posted an introduction to Drop 2 style chord voicings. These are the most used voicings when improvising chord solos or making chord melody arrangements.

You can find this at the "Chord Melody" page of www.jazz-mandolin.com


Jazz-mandolin.com Chord Melody page

[Bob Kirkland]

Thnaks, Pete. Great stuff.

["Umm, fish?"]

Can we talk the theory of your lesson a bit? My brain grabs it better if I understand why you are doing what you are doing.

You chose the I Major 6 and the V# diminished chord as the basis for creating every chord through your chord scale. The question is, why? My assumption is that, between those two chords, you've covered every note in that Bebop scale. Does that seem right?

(Besides, one of those chords gives you lots of tension and one gives resolution, so you are creating little mini tension cycles there without even thinking about function.)

You are alternating between those two chords based on which note grouping (the Maj6 or the diminished) that the scale tone at the bottom falls into. Does that seem correct?

Thanks!!

["Umm, fish?"]

And, to add to the above, once you decided on those two chords--because they include all the notes of the scale--making the chord scale is just a matter of creating inversions of one or the other for each bass note. Yeah?

[Rick Jones]

Great stuff, Pete. Thank you!!

[Pete Martin]

Andy you have everything correct except one thing. Chord melody puts the melody on TOP, so think of the sound top down instead of the way you described it, bass note up. It makes a lot more sense this way.

["Umm, fish?"]

Aha. Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks!

I still haven't had a chance to put paper to the mandocello-ish thing that I play yet, but I hope to tonight.

[Tom Sailor]

Hi Pete,
thanks a lot for this useful introduction. I learned some new ideas I didn't come on before. Now I compared your introduction to what I do while playing chord melody and I have a question to you. I had the problem of too much loosing the characteristig "Wes Montgomery sound" tension when transcripting the original drop-2 style for the Mandolin because of the missing note. So I started to use chord supplements at three places which have the sense to add a little more jazzy tension:
- instead of the third chord (5-7-7-X) I like to use 5-9-7-X (this is originally a maj-7 chord)
- instead of the fifth chord (X-2-2-3) which sounds too "usual" to me I use X-2-5-3 (this is originally a minor-7 chord)
- instead of the sixth chord (X-3-5-4) that stays a likely option I sometimes use X-3-6-4 especially when the melody goes down onto the scale
These three suppelemts give a little different block chording style than on piano and guitar but I like the result. Could be a manner to bring out some special Mandolin sound of chord melody playing. What do you think about it?
Tom

[Tom Sailor]

I was just up to make a video demo this evening of what I meant with the comment above... I show you in playing "What a wonderdul world" on Eb-Mandola as chord melody (you can play it like this on a 5-string Mandolin by subtracting 2 bars):

I didn't have plenty of time with that so excuse the poor quality. You may note the suppelents on the IIIrd and Vth chord of the scale and at the Db as well. On the VIth I chose the romantic way this time as did Louis means a maj7 again (for me x-5-9-7)
anyhow the bVI,V,VII are IMHO open for several options... I sometimes play them all diminished.
Have fun, Tom

[Pete Martin]

Hi Pete,
thanks a lot for this useful introduction. I learned some new ideas I didn't come on before. Now I compared your introduction to what I do while playing chord melody and I have a question to you. I had the problem of too much loosing the characteristig "Wes Montgomery sound" tension when transcripting the original drop-2 style for the Mandolin because of the missing note. So I started to use chord supplements at three places which have the sense to add a little more jazzy tension:
- instead of the third chord (5-7-7-X) I like to use 5-9-7-X (this is originally a maj-7 chord)
- instead of the fifth chord (X-2-2-3) which sounds too "usual" to me I use X-2-5-3 (this is originally a minor-7 chord)
- instead of the sixth chord (X-3-5-4) that stays a likely option I sometimes use X-3-6-4 especially when the melody goes down onto the scale
These three suppelemts give a little different block chording style than on piano and guitar but I like the result. Could be a manner to bring out some special Mandolin sound of chord melody playing. What do you think about it?
Tom

Hi Tom,

What you described are all common variations guitar and piano players add to basic drop 2 voicings. In all music, do what sounds best to YOUR ear!