Drop 2 Voicings

by Per Danielsson

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Accompanying on the piano is actually the same as being an arranger, except that the decisions have to be made quickly. There is a constant balance of adapting, following, supporting and sometimes taking charge that needs to be mastered. Successful "on the spot" arranging is dependent on taste, skill, and command of chord choices, all of which can be practiced. In this month's article, I'll show a very useful technique for moving chords around using different positions.

A common problem with young jazz pianists is the lack of flexibility in chord movement. This greatly limits the ability to provide a smooth and tasteful accompaniment. There are different ways of moving chords around when you are comping.

1. Chromatic movement - Moving chords up and down chromatically, and also approaching a chord from a half step above or below.
2. Substitutions - The use of tri-tone substitutions works great, especially with dominant chords.
3. Change in voicing - Using different voicings for the same quality chords.
4. Drop 2 voicing - The drop 2 technique is an old technique that arrangers have used since the early Ellington days. It's extremely useful when arranging for large ensembles, and a saxophone section especially sounds great when harmonized this way. When it comes to guitar and piano the drop 2 provides great flexibility and the ability to move a chord up and down without changing its quality.

How it works: Say for an example that you have a close position voicing consisting of four notes. Simply take the second note from the top and move it down an octave. It's a small change but it opens the voicing up and gives it a much fuller sound.

Practice this method in all keys using Maj7, min7 and Dominant7 chords. The rule is the same for the different chords, move the 2nd note from the top an octave down.

The following example has a melodic top line. Notice that sometimes the eighth note on the off beat are part of the block chord. A nice tension to the sound is created when you off-set the chord.

Practice this progression in several keys. Soon you'll notice how useful this drop 2 technique is and how it helps create a smoother comping style.

The drop 2 voicing is also useful when played diatonically. Simply move the voicing over a major scale and listen to its sound.

Keep in mind that you can basically take any block chord and create a drop 2 voicing from it. The next step is to add a note to the block chord and then drop the 2nd note and the 4th note. This will greatly expand this technique. However, get the basic concept of the drop 2 under your fingers first.

Good Luck,
Per Danielsson