TERENCE WRIGHT GUITAR
Jazz Guitarist - Music Educator - Composer
http://terencewrightguitar.com
Intro to Voice Leading Drop Chords
In this article, we will take a look at the first steps to voice leading drop chords on the guitar.
The chord voicings covered in this article are the very commonly used drop 2 chords. There are
many approaches to voice leading that can be used individually or together depending on the
situation and tastes of the performer. Two very important approaches to voice leading introduced in
this lesson are:
Common chord tones: applying this approach demands that you keep any common notes found
between neighboring chords in a chord progression the same.
Shortest distance possible: this approach refers to moving all notes in a chord the shortest
distance possible to the notes of the next chord in a given chord progression.
Using a II - V - I (in the key of C: Dmin7 - G7 - Cmaj7) progression as an example, we will examine
how to voice lead drop chords using common chord tones and the shortest distance possible.
From the example above, we can see the elements of voice leading that occur naturally when
shifting between the appropriate drop chords. Between the Dmin7 and the G7, chord tones D and F
are common and are unchanged. When progressing from G7 to Cmaj7 the chord tones G and B
remain unchanged. The remaining voices in each progression then travel the shortest possible
distance to the appropriate tones in the next chord.
To get a head start on voice leading, go through the examples below. The examples cover every
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TERENCE WRIGHT GUITAR
Jazz Guitarist - Music Educator - Composer
http://terencewrightguitar.com
inversion of drop 2 chords on every string group in the same voice leading fashion as the example
above.
Voice Leading Drop Chords from the D-String
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TERENCE WRIGHT GUITAR
Jazz Guitarist - Music Educator - Composer
http://terencewrightguitar.com
When playing through the examples, try thinking of each chord starting from its lowest voice. In the
first example of drop 2 chords built from the D-string, the lowest voice in the D min 7 is
a D, followed by another D in the G7/B and finally a C in the Cmaj7.
After becoming familiar with the thinking of the examples from the lowest voice first, try think of
the highest voice. Focusing on these voices will allow you to get past simply thinking of chord
shapes and allow you to know whats going on in your chord progressions. This approach will in
turn give you more freedom voice leading in improvisation and comping!
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TERENCE WRIGHT GUITAR
Jazz Guitarist - Music Educator - Composer
http://terencewrightguitar.com
Voice Leading Drop Chords from the A-String
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TERENCE WRIGHT GUITAR
Jazz Guitarist - Music Educator - Composer
http://terencewrightguitar.com
Make sure to apply these progressions and exercises to all twelve keys. Also apply these
progressions to the other drop chord types.
The same pattern of inversions can be applied to all drop chord types and yield the same voice
leading results. For example, under 'Voice Leading Drop Chords from the E-string', notice the
pattern of inversions for voice leading are as follows:
1st inversion (dmin7/F) -> 3rd inversion (G7/F) -> 1st inversion (Cmaj7/e)
root position (dmin7) -> 2nd inversion (G7/b) -> root inversion (Cmaj7)
3rd inversion (dmin7/C) -> 1st inversion (G7/B) -> 3rd inversion (Cmaj7/B)
2nd inversion (dmin7/A) - root position (G7) - > 2nd inversion (Cmaj7/G)
Taking the drop 3 chord shapes and playing:
1st inversion (dmin7/F) -> 3rd inversion (G7/F) -> 1st inversion (Cmaj7/e)
will give you the exact same results from a voice leading perspective as with the drop 2 chords
below. Make sure to take all chord shapes types through this process!
Voice Leading Drop Chords from the E-String
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TERENCE WRIGHT GUITAR
Jazz Guitarist - Music Educator - Composer
http://terencewrightguitar.com
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