A drop 2 voicing is made by taking a chord in close position and dropping the second note from the top down an octave. For Cmaj7, close position C, E, G, B becomes the drop 2 voicing G, C, E, B, which is spread out, easy to play on guitar and piano, and a jazz standard.
What are drop 2 voicings?
A drop 2 voicing is a chord voicing made by a simple trick: take the chord in close position, with all its notes packed within an octave, and drop the second note from the top down by one octave. The result is a wider, more open voicing that is easier to play and sounds better on guitar and piano. For Cmaj7, close position is C, E, G, B, from bottom to top. The second note from the top is G, so dropping it an octave gives G, C, E, B, from bottom to top, which is the drop 2 voicing of Cmaj7 in root position. Drop 2 voicings are the standard voicings of jazz guitar and jazz piano, because they solve a practical problem: close-position 7th chords are hard to play on guitar, where the strings are tuned in 4ths and the fingers cannot reach four notes in a row on adjacent strings, and they sound muddy on piano in the low register. Dropping one note an octave spreads the chord across a comfortable hand span, puts the notes on convenient strings, and opens up the sound. Once you know the drop 2 shapes for the four chord types, major 7th, minor 7th, dominant 7th and half-diminished, you can voice almost any jazz chord.
How drop 2 voicings are built
The method works for any 7th chord and any inversion. Take the chord in close position, count down from the top, and move the second note down an octave. For Cmaj7 in root position, close position is C, E, G, B, and dropping the G gives G, C, E, B. For Cmaj7 in first inversion, close position is E, G, B, C, and dropping the B gives B, E, G, C. For Cmaj7 in second inversion, close position is G, B, C, E, and dropping the C gives C, G, B, E. For Cmaj7 in third inversion, close position is B, C, E, G, and dropping the E gives E, B, C, G. Four inversions, four drop 2 voicings, all built by the same rule. The same rule works for the other chord types, and the shapes are worth learning as a set. For a dominant 7th, G7 in root position, close position is G, B, D, F, and dropping the D gives D, G, B, F. For a minor 7th, Am7 in root position, close position is A, C, E, G, and dropping the E gives E, A, C, G. For a half-diminished chord, Bm7b5 in root position, close position is B, D, F, A, and dropping the F gives F, B, D, A. On guitar these voicings fall neatly onto four adjacent strings, which is why jazz guitarists learn them first. The Cmaj7 guitar chord and the G7 guitar chord show the chord types involved, and the chord voicing explorer lists the drop 2 voicings for any chord.
Worked example — drop 2 for Dm7. Dm7 in root position, close position, is D, F, A, C. The second note from the top is A, so dropping it an octave gives A, D, F, C, the drop 2 voicing of Dm7 in root position. On guitar that voicing sits on the middle four strings and is easy to grab; on piano it fits comfortably under one hand. Now use it in a ii–V–I in C major: play Dm7 as A, D, F, C, then G7 as D, G, B, F, then Cmaj7 as G, C, E, B, and notice how the top note moves C, F, B, a smooth line across the three chords. The Dm7 guitar chord is the chord in its basic form, and the ii–V–I progression in C major is where the voicings belong.
How to practise drop 2 voicings
Learn drop 2 voicings one chord type at a time, in all four inversions, before you try to use them in progressions.
- On piano, build the drop 2 voicing of Cmaj7 in root position (G, C, E, B), then in first inversion (B, E, G, C), then in second inversion (C, G, B, E), then in third inversion (E, B, C, G).
- On guitar, learn the drop 2 voicing of G7 on the top four strings, then move the same shape up two frets for A7 and down two frets for F7.
- Play the ii–V–I progression in C major using only drop 2 voicings, keeping your hand in the same area of the instrument.
- Practise the drop 2 voicings of Am7, Dm7 and Em7 as a set, since minor 7th chords share the same shapes in different positions.
- Use the chord voicing explorer to check your drop 2 voicings against the reference before you practise them.
Common mistakes
- Dropping the wrong note — Drop 2 means the second note from the top, not the second note from the bottom. Dropping the wrong note gives a different voicing, usually a drop 3, which has a different sound and a different shape.
- Using drop 2 voicings for triads — Drop 2 is a technique for 7th chords, which have four notes. Applying it to a triad does not produce a useful voicing, because there are only three notes to work with, and the result is just an inversion.
- Playing drop 2 voicings too low on piano — Drop 2 voicings still need a sensible register. Below middle C they can sound muddy, so play them in the middle register and let the left hand play the root separately.
Quick reference
Drop 2 voicings are built by a single rule, and this table applies that rule to all four inversions of Cmaj7, so you can see the rule working four times in a row. In each row the middle column is the chord in close position, and the right-hand column is the same chord with the second note from the top dropped down an octave, which opens the spacing and puts the notes on comfortable strings.
| Cmaj7 inversion | Close position | Drop 2 voicing |
|---|---|---|
| Root position | C – E – G – B | G – C – E – B |
| First inversion | E – G – B – C | B – E – G – C |
| Second inversion | G – B – C – E | C – G – B – E |
| Third inversion | B – C – E – G | E – B – C – G |
Practise the table by playing the four drop 2 voicings in order on piano, from root position to third inversion, and listen for the top note stepping B, C, E, G, a smooth melodic line across the four chords. On guitar, learn the root-position voicing first, then move the same shape to the other inversions, and the whole set will fall into place.
Frequently asked questions
What is a drop 2 voicing?
A voicing made by taking a 7th chord in close position and dropping the second note from the top down an octave. For Cmaj7, close position C, E, G, B becomes G, C, E, B, which is wider, easier to play and the standard jazz voicing.
Why are drop 2 voicings so popular in jazz?
Because they fit the guitar fretboard and the piano keyboard comfortably, they sound open and clear, and they voice-lead smoothly: the top note of each chord in a progression forms a melodic line, which is exactly what jazz players want.
Do drop 2 voicings work for triads?
No, not really. The technique is designed for four-note 7th chords. A triad has only three notes, so dropping one of them just gives an inversion, and the characteristic wide spacing of a drop 2 voicing does not appear.
What is the difference between drop 2 and drop 3?
Drop 2 drops the second note from the top down an octave; drop 3 drops the third note from the top. Drop 2 voicings are wider at the bottom and closer at the top, while drop 3 voicings are wider at the top, and the two sound different.
How many drop 2 voicings does a 7th chord have?
Four, one for each inversion: root position, first inversion, second inversion and third inversion. Learning all four for the major 7th, minor 7th, dominant 7th and half-diminished chord types covers almost every jazz chord you will meet.