Chordability

Mastering the Art of

Jazz Voicings for the Guitar

Roni Ben-Hur

Chordability: Mastering The Art of Jazz Voicings for the Guitar

2010 Bohobza Music, PO Box 745 Teaneck, NJ 07666

Produced by Roni Ben-Hur

Film editor: Rob Haines
Booklet editors: Mercer Sullivan and Lance Goler
Booklet design: Anne Furuya
Cover photo: John Abbott
Special thanks to Jana Herzen, Bill Wurtzel, Mercer Sullivan, Anne Furuya, Lance Goler, and always to my family.

www.ronibenhur.com

Table of Contents
1

Chord Voicings That Work: Drop 2 and Drop 3

Drop 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Practicing Drop 2 Voicings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Drop 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Practicing Drop 3 Voicings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Root Position of the Drop 2 and Drop 3 Voicings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Drop 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Drop 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Inverting Chord Progressions That Use Five-Note Chords

13

The Diminished

21

In Drop 2 Voicings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
In Drop 3 Voicings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Practicing the Diminished with Borrowed Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
In Drop 2 Voicings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
In Drop 3 Voicings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The Major 6/Diminished/Major 6 Progression

25

Practicing the Major 6/Diminished/Major 6 Progression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Drop 2 Voicings, alternating between the root and the 5th in the base . . . . . . . . . . 27
Drop 2 Voicings, alternating between the 6th and the 3rd in the base. . . . . . . . . . . 28
Drop 3 Voicings, alternating between the 5th and the root in the base. . . . . . . . . . 29
Drop 3 Voicings, alternating between the 6th and the 3rd in the base. . . . . . . . . . . 30

The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

31

Practicing The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

The Major 6 Diminished in Drop 2 Voicings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
The Minor 6 Diminished in Drop 2 Voicings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
The Major 6 Diminished in Drop 3 Voicings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Minor 6 Diminished in Drop 3 Voicings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

CHORDABILITY |

Chord Voicings That Work:

Drop 2 and Drop 3

When playing chords on the guitar, one always faces the challenge of how to invert a chord and still have it voiced in a
way that is practical for the guitar. This chapter presents two chord formats that are practical to play and invert on the
guitar and, more importantly, sound good.

Drop 2
The first step in creating chords for the guitar is to open up the voicings, in other words, make a wider distance between
the low note and high note of the chord. When we do this , the chord sounds better and is voiced in a way that is comfortable to play. To see what this means, first look at a C6 chord in the standard closed voicing:
Here are the basic chord voicing and inversions of the C6 chord:

&c

wwww

Root Position

w
www

1st Inversion

w
www

2nd Inversion

www
w

3rd Inversion

Drop 2 means taking the second note from the top of these voicings, and moving it to the bottom of the chord. Now
compare the closed voicings with their corresponding Drop 2 counterparts:
These are the basic voicings and Drop 2 voicings of the C6:

Root Position

ww
ww

w
www

2nd Inversion

55
w/ the drop 2 55

55
w/ the drop 2
55

w
w
ww

1st Inversion

www
w

2fr.

www
w

3rd Inversion

5 55
w/ the drop 2 5

5
55
w/ the drop 2
5

ww
ww

5fr.

5fr.

As you see, the drop 2 chords lay well on the fingerboard. Some of them may require your fingers to stretch, but they all
are possible to play.

| Drop 2 and Drop 3

The drop 2 voicings follow the same pattern with every quality of a four-note chord. (The 3 can be a major 3rd in a major
chord, or a minor 3rd in a minor chord. The 5 can also be the b5 or #5, and the 6 can be the 7 or maj7). Here are the voicings for sixth chords:

5136
6351
1563
3615
When you play a drop 2 voicing the chord always falls on four consecutive strings. On a six-string guitar there are three
sets of four consecutive strings: the bottom four (E, A, D, and G); the middle four (A, D, G, and B); and the top four
(D, G, B and E). This means that every drop 2 voicing has three different fingerings, one for each set of four strings. Here
they are for C6, in all inversions:
Lets use the C6 chord, and see the different forms on each group of strings.

&
&
&
&

5136
Form

55 55

6351
Form

5 55
5

1563
Form

5 55
5

3615
Form

55 5 5

ww
ww

5fr.

ww
w
w
7fr.

www
w

5
55 5

ww
ww

5 55
5

ww
ww

55
55

8fr.

12fr.

2fr.

www
w

10fr.

5
55 5

ww
ww

5fr.

3fr.

5555

ww
ww

5 557fr.
5

ww
ww

5 5 10fr.
55

w
www

55 5 5

ww
ww

If some of these chords looked to you like Am7 chords, it is because they are. The C6 chord and the Am7 chord are identical. Any voicing of C6 you know is also a
voicing of Am7, and vice versa. We will discuss this more later in the book.

CHORDABILITY |

Practicing the Drop 2 Voicings

In order to get a good handle on all the different inversions and shapes of these chords, follow this exercise.
Play four drop 2 inversions of a major 6 chord. The lowest note in each key will have to be a note between F and A on
the 6th string. Play no more than two inversions on each set of strings. Start with the C6 chord with the fifth as the low
note (G) and play the four inversions, plus the first one again an octave higher. Next, play the F6 chord starting with the
tonic as the low note, and do the same as with the C6. After that comes the Bb6 with the sixth as the low note. Continue
through the cycle of fourths.
Here is the exercise in the first four keys:

C6

&

F6

b6

b6

b b

b b

b b

b b

b b

b b b
b

| Drop 2 and Drop 3

The following is the same exercise as the one in the previous page, but this time using the minor 6 chords. I have outlined
the first four keys, but you should do it in all keys, following the cycle of fourths.

C m6

&

F m6

b m6
b m6

b
b

b
b

b
b

b
b

b
b

b b b

b
b

b b b b
b b

b
b

b b b

b
b

b b
b

b b
b

The next thing to do to help us get familiar with the different shapes of the drop 2 voicings is to work on changing the
quality of each chord. Take a C6 chord and change it to all the different C chords you can think of.
Following is an example using one of the voicings. Do it with all the voicings and shapes.

C6

Co

b
b

C Maj7

C m6

C7

C m(maj7)
C 7( 5)
#

C m7

C 7( 5)
b

b b

b
b

CHORDABILITY |

Drop 3
Drop 3 means taking the third note from the top of the basic voicings, and moving it to the bottom of the chord.
These are the basic voicings and Drop 3 voicings of C6:

wwww

Root Position

w/ the drop 3

www
w

w/ the drop 3

2nd Inversion

5 5 5fr.
5 5

www
w
ww
w
w

1st Inversion

www
w

www
w

3rd Inversion

5
55
w/ the drop 3 5

ww
w
w

w/ the drop 3

ww
w
w

The drop 3 voicings also lay well on the fingerboard. As with the drop 2 voicings, some may require your fingers to stretch,
but they all are possible to play.
The drop 3 voicings also follow the same pattern with every quality of a four-note chord. (The 3 can be a major 3rd in a
major chord, or a minor 3rd in a minor chord. The 5 can also be the b5 or #5, and the 6 can be the 7 or maj7). Here are
the Drop 3 voicings:

3156
5361
6513
1635
When playing a drop 3 voicing the chord stretches over five strings, with the second lowest string muffled. On the six
string guitar, there are two sets of five strings, which means that every drop 3 voicing has two different fingerings, one for
each set of five strings.

| Drop 2 and Drop 3

Practicing the Drop 3 Voicings

The following exercise follows the same principle of the one for the drop 2. In it you play four inversions of major 6
chords in drop 3 voicings. The starting points will all be in the same area of the fretboard, forcing us to learn all the different fingerings as we practice in different keys.

G6

&

C6

F6

b6

Do the same with drop 3 voicings of Major 6 chords in all other keys. Start each key from the inversions below:

b
E 6

E6

55
5 5

ww
bbw
w
55
5 5

# ww
w
#w

b
A 6

A6

5 555

b ww
w
bw

5 555

# ww
w
#w

3fr.

b
D 6

D6

55 5

b b www
bw

5
55
5

w
# ww
w

3fr.

b
G 6

5 555

G6

5 55 5

b bb www
b w
ww
w
w

B 6 5 555

#w
# ww
#w

Remember, if some of these chords looked to you like an Am7 chord, it is because they are. The M6 chord and the m7 chord are identical. Any voicing of M6 you
know is also a voicing of m7, and vice versa.

CHORDABILITY |

The following is the same exercise as the one in the previous page, but this time using the minor 6 chords. I have outlined
the first four keys, but you should do it in all keys, following the cycle of fourths.

G m6

&

b b

b
b
b b

b b

C m6

b
b

F m6

b b

b b
b

b m6

Do the same with drop 3 voicings of minor 6 chords in all other keys. Start each key from the inversions below:

b m6

E m6

ww
bbw
bw
5 55 5

# ww
w
w

b m6

A m6

b b www
bw

5 55 5

ww
w
#w

b m6

D m6

bw
b b ww
bw
5

555

3fr.

# m6

# ww
#w
# w

B m6

w
# ww
#w

ww
w
w

If some of these chords looked to you like a m7(b5) chord, it is because they are. The m6 chord and the m7(b5) chord are identical. Any voicing of m6 you know is
also a voicing of m7(b5), and vice versa.

| Drop 2 and Drop 3

As with the drop 2, work on changing the quality of each voicing. Here is an example:

&

G6

G dim

ww
w
w

G Maj7

b b www
w

G7

w
# ww
w
ww
w
w

G m6

G 7(# 5)

b ww
w
w
# ww
w
w

G m(Maj7)

G 7( 5)
b

w
# ww
w
b ww
w
w

G m7( 5)
b

b b www
w

With the knowledge of the drop 2 and drop 3 voicings, you can now construct any four-note chord. Try naming a fournote chord. Then play it in these voicings in all inversions. The chords can be random, or they can be a part of a chord
progression. You can use chords from a lead sheet, or just make ones up. When you discover a chord you really like, write
it down and incorporate it into your playing. The more you do this, the easier it will get.

CHORDABILITY |

Root Position of the Drop 2 and Drop 3 Voicings

The root positions of the drop 2 and drop 3 chords are easy to use and are very practical. Following are a series of exercises
to help you incorporate them into your playing.

Drop 2
Using the common progression of II V I*, here are the drop 2 voicings in root position. To make sure we cover all the different fingerings of these chords, this exercise goes down in whole steps from one key to the next.

D m7

&
C m7

b m7
b m7

b b

b b
b
b
b b b

G7

F7

b7
b7

b
b
b
b

C Maj7

b Maj7
b Maj7
b Maj7

ww
w
w
ww
b ww
ww
b
b ww
bw
b b www

* II V I is one of the most common chord progressions. The II, V and I are roman numerals that represent the degree of these chords in the scale you are in. For
example, in the key of G major the II is Am7, the V is D7 and the I is G major.

10 | Drop 2 and Drop 3

&

# m7

E m7

D m7

# #

B7

A7

G7

E Maj7

# # www
w

D Maj7

# # www
w

C Maj7

ww
w
w

You can add color and texture to this chord progression by creating movement in the inner voicing. For example, when
playing the II chord, first play it as a minor with a Maj7, then a m7 then a m6. You can do something similar with the
Major chord. Play it first as a Maj7 then a Major 6.
Another way to add color and texture is by altering the dominant 7 chord. For example, play it as a 7 with a sharp 5.
Here is an example with a II V I in the key of C Major:

D m(maj7)

D m7

D m6

G 7( 5)
#

C Maj7

C6

You can also create an inner voicing movement in the dominant 7 chord using the #5, 5 and b5.

D m7

G 7( 5)
#

G7

3
n

G 7( 5)
b

C Maj7

Practice these patterns in descending whole steps as in the exercise in the previous page.

C6

CHORDABILITY |

Drop 3
These are voicings using the root position of Drop 3 over II V I progressions in minor keys.*
The exercise goes down in whole steps from one key to the next.

&

D m7(b 5)
C m7( 5)
b

b m7(b5)

b m7(b5)

b b b

b
b
b
b

b b
b

# m7(b5)

E m7( 5)
b

#
b

G 7( 5)
#

F 7(# 5)

b 7(# 5)

b 7(# 5)

B 7(# 5)
A 7( 5)
#

b
#

C m(maj7)

b m(maj7)

b m(maj7)

b m(maj7)

E m(maj7)
D m(maj7)

b
b
b b
b
b

C m6

b m6
b m6
b m6

E m6

D m6

*In a minor key the II is almost always a m7(b5) chord. The V chord is played with the #5 many times to relate to the minor third of the I chord.

11

12 | Chord Progressions That Use Five-Note Chords

CHORDABILITY |

13

Inverting Chord Progressions That Use

Five-Note Chords

Chord progressions tend to sound fuller when you add color notes beyond the 7th or the 6th, like the 9th for example.
Since this creates chords with five notes that are harder to invert, the average guitarist usually sticks to just one way of
playing these kinds of progressions. Here is an outline of ways for you to be able to play advanced and hip chord progressions in all their inversions with relative ease. Its based on the fact that the top four notes of many five-note chords have
voicings that are identical to some of the more basic four-note chords. This lets you make use of voicings that you may
already know, which is nice, but the really great thing is that it makes them much easier to invert. Confused? Follow this
lesson step by step, and you will see how this works.
The major 6 chord is easy to construct and invert using the drop 2 and drop 3 structures. What makes it even better is the
fact that this chord also represents other chords.
The notes in the C6 chord are the same notes as in the Am7 chord and are also the same notes as the top four notes of the
Fmaj9 chord.

&c

C6

FMa j9

A m7

www
w

wwww

www
ww

This tells us that all the major 6 chords we have to practice are also m7 or Maj9 chords. The relationship between the
chords is that the m7 is the relative minor of the major 6 chord, and the Maj9 chord is a 4th above the major 6 chord.
This is a very important thing to remember. It will allow you to triple your chord vocabulary instantly.
Lets put these chords in the context of the II V I progression.
Well use the key of G as an example. The II is Am7, which is the same chord as C6. The V is D7. Since jazz harmony
gravitates toward altered chords, lets play the D7(b5) chord. The I is a G major, and for added color, lets use the Gmaj9,
which without the root is the same as D6. We now have three chords that are easily constructed in a drop 2 or drop 3
voicing.
Here they are in a drop 2 structure:

A m75fr.

&

D 7(b5)5fr.

#
b

G Ma j9

4fr.

14 | Inverting Chord Progressions That Use Five-Note Chords

The next thing to do is to play this progression in all the different inversions and across the guitar fretboard.
Lets start high on the fretboard and keep inverting these chords until we reach the low end of the guitar.

Keep in mind that Am7 is the same as C6 and that GMaj9 is the same as D6 without its root.
Try this progression with D7(#5) instead of D7(b5).

CHORDABILITY |

15

Lets develop this concept even further. To give the m7 chord more texture, we can use the m9 chord. The m9 is a chord
with five notes, but if we dont play the root the four notes that are left create a maj7 chord.
Lets use the Am9 as an example.

A m9

&

ww
www

C Maj7

ww
ww

As you see, the top four notes of the Am9 chord are the same as the CMaj7. That gives us a four-note chord that we can
easily invert and play all over the fingerboard using the drop 2 and drop 3 voicings.
Now lets add texture to the 7 chord. The general approach jazz musicians take when dealing with a 7 chord is to add
altered notes e.g. the b9 & #9, the b5 & #5. This is something you cant do all the time, but many times it does work and
gives you a hipper sound. When the 7 chord acts as leading chord, which means as V chord (or its tritone), you can alter
the 7 chord. What you want to watch out for is that in cases where you are accompanying a melody, as opposed to a solo,
you dont want the altered notes to clash with the melody. For example, if the melody note is the five of the chord, you
shouldnt play the b5 or #5.
One effective variation of an altered 7 chord is the 7(#5b9) chord. This sounds like a complicated chord that is hard to
invert and play all over the fret board. But is it really? Again, by looking at the top four notes of the chord we discover a
simple four-note chord. In this case it is a m6 chord.
Using the D7(#5b9) chord as an example.

&

# #b wwwww

b b b wwww

Look closely at these two chords. The four top notes of the altered D7 chord are the same notes that make up the Ebm6.
They are enharmonic, but they are the same chord. So now you can play many different inversions and voicings of a 7
chord with its #5 and b9 by simply playing a m6 chord a half step higher.

16 | Inverting Chord Progressions That Use Five-Note Chords

Lets do one more thing with the 7 chord. A very common alteration to the 7 chord is adding the b9. That leaves us with
a five-note chord. The top four notes, though, spell out a diminished chord.*
Here it is with the D7(b9) chord.

&

D 7 (b 9)

b www
# ww

F # dim

b www
#w

Now we have a way to play a m9, a Maj9, a 7(b9) and a 7(#5b9) chords using four-note chords. The trick is to remember
which is which.
The m9 is the same as a Maj7 chord, and the relation between the two is that they are the relative minor and relative major
of each other. Am9=Cmaj7.
The Maj9 is the same as a major 6 chord, and the relation between them is that the major 6 chord is a fifth above the Maj9
chord. Gmaj9=D6.
The 7(b9) is the same as a diminished chord, and the relation between them is that the diminished chord is built from the
3rd, 5th, 7th or b9 of the 7 chord. D7(b9)=F#dim, Adim, Cdim, Ebdim.
The 7(#5b9) is the same as a m6 chord and the relation between them is that the m6 is a half step above the altered 7
chord. D7(#5b9)=Ebm6.

Using another very common progression, the I, VI, II, V, I, we can apply all the different chords we discussed. Well do it
in the key of G, using D6 for the Gmaj9 (the I), G#dim for the E7(b9) (the VI), Cmaj7 for the Am9 (the II), and Ebm6
for the D7(#5b9) (the V). These are all drop 2 voicings in this example.
When using this approach we need to understand these new four-note chords in terms of the underlying original harmony
but see them as we play in terms their new equivalents. For example, when we want to play D7(#5b9) we should see it as
Ebm6. For that reason I will notate the chord using the notes that relate to Ebm6 so it will have an Gb instead of a F#, and
a Bb instead of an A#.

*The diminished chord is one that is used extensively. It is composed of four notes, symmetrically divided by equal intervals of a minor third each. An important
fact about the diminished chord is that because of its symmetrical structure, any note in it can function as the root.

CHORDABILITY |

17

As much as some of these chords present a technical challenge, they are all possible to play, and, more importantly, they are
easy to invert using the method we discussed.
The next step is for us to play this progression starting from high up on the fret board, and moving down as low as we
can. Again, what we are using are inversions of major 6, diminished, major 7 and minor 6 chords. In the case of the key
of G, remember that we see these chords as we play as D6, Fdim, CMaj7 and Ebm6, even though they are standing in for
Gmaj9, E7(b9), Am9, and D7(#5b9) respectively. Before we play the whole progression, we should practice inverting each
one of these chords in the drop 2 voicings.

18 | Inverting Chord Progressions That Use Five-Note Chords

Here is the whole progression, except that, in order to create a nice lead in, I have started on the II V. These two chords
lead to the I and help orient the ear. The progression is now II/V/I/VI, over and over again. In the key of G it is Am9/
D7(#5b9)/GMaj9/E7(b9). Remember, for Am9 we play CMaj7, for D7(#5b9) we play Ebm6, for GMaj9 we play D6 and
for E7(b9) we play Fdim.

CHORDABILITY |

19

We can play all these progressions using the drop 3 voicings. This is the same basic progression as the one from the last
exercise, but with two changes. One is that instead of playing the D7 with its #5 and b9, which spells out the Ebm6, I am
using the D7(#5) without the b9. It is a very useful chord that we should also practice. The other is that I am using the
Am7 instead of the Am9 chord. The Am9 as you remember is the CMaj7 chord, and that is a chord that can be challenging in some positions in drop 3. It is still possible, and if you are up to it, then try it. The progression now is Am7(C6) /
D7(#5) / GMaj9(D6) / E7(b9)(Fdim).
First practice the different inversions of each chord.

20 | Inverting Chord Progressions That Use Five-Note Chords

This is the whole progression, II/V/I/ IV over and over again in the key of G using drop 3 voicings.
Just a reminder, for Am7 we play C6, for GMaj9 we play D6 and for E7(b9) we play Fdim.

71

&

73

&

75

&

77

&

79

&

CHORDABILITY |

21

The Diminished

The diminished chord is used a great deal in jazz improvisation and harmony. It can be used in different contexts and is a
musical element absolutely worth mastering.
The diminished triad (three notes) is made of the 1, flatted 3rd and flatted 5th of the major scale. The diminished chord
(four notes) has the 6th added to the triad. These four notes create a cycle of minor thirds (a step and a half interval),
meaning the distance between each of these notes is a minor third. Consequently, when you build a diminished chord,
each one of the notes in that chord can be the root, since youll get the same four notes, regardless which of these notes
you start from.
The C Diminished Triad
The C Diminished Chord

4
&4

Lets construct a diminished chord starting from each of the notes in the Cdim chord. Well do that by starting from each
of these notes and going up in minor thirds. As you see, they all have the same notes.

&

C dim

b
b

E bdim

b b

G bdim

A dim

b b

Since each diminished chord is identical to three other diminished chords and there are 12 notes in an octave, there are
only three different Diminished chords, each with four different names:
Cdim (which is also Ebdim, Gbdim, and Adim)
Dbdim (which is also Edim, Gdim, and Bbdim)
Ddim (which is also Fdim, Abdim, and Bdim)
Another very important point about the diminished is that when any of the four notes in the diminished chord is lowered
a half step, it changes the diminished into a 7th chord, with the lowered note as the root. And when all the notes of the
diminished chord are played along with the root, we get a 7th chord with a flatted 9th. That is why the diminished is often
played over 7th chords.
Here is an example of the diminished chord, the 7th chord that we get when we lower one of the notes a half step.

In Drop 2 Voicings
C dim

&

b
b

B7

In Drop 3 Voicings
C dim

b b
&

B7

#
#
3

# #

C dim

C dim

b
b

b b

F7

A b7

C dim

C dim

b
b

b b

A b7

D7

C dim

C dim

b
b

b b

D7

F7

22 | The Diminished

Practicing the Diminished with Borrowed Notes

When playing a diminished chord you can add interesting colors to it by substituting one of its notes with a note a whole
step above it. That note represents the root of one of the 7th chords which can be derived from this diminished. Below
are the notes and diagrams for practicing the C diminished chords with borrowed notes and then resolving back to
the regular diminished chord. Each diagram includes the borrowed note as well as the note of the diminished chord it
replaces. The note that is part of the diminished chord, the latter one, is marked with a hollow circle. The borrowed notes
are the solid circles two frets up on the same string.

In Drop 2 Voicings
Borrowing the top note

555

10fr.

555

b
b
b
&

7fr.

555

9fr.

Borrowing the second note from the top

5 5` 510fr.
5

5 5` 57fr.
5

`
5 555

555

5fr.

b b

b
8fr.

`
5 555

5fr.

b
b b b b b

&
b
b

Borrowing the third note from the top

5 5 510fr. 5 5 57fr. 5 5 8fr. 5 5 5fr.

`
`
5
5
`
`
5
5
5
5
b
# b b b b

&
b
b

Borrowing the lowest note

`5

5 510fr.

`5

b
b b

&

5 57fr.

`5

5 5

8fr.

b b

`5

5 5

5fr.

5 5 5`
5

7fr.

5 5 5`
5

b
b
b

5 55` 5

7fr.

5 55` 5
3

4fr.

4fr.

b b b b

5 5 5 7fr. 5 5 5 4fr.
`
`
5
5

# b b b

`5

55

7fr.

`5

55

b
b

4fr.

CHORDABILITY |

In Drop 3 Voicings
Borrowing the top note

8fr.

5fr.

b
& b

Borrowing the second note from the top

8fr.

bb

5fr.

b
& b

4fr.

7fr.

b
7fr.

#
b

& b

5fr.

b
b

Borrowing the lowest note.

8fr.

bb
&

b b

5fr.

b
b

7fr.

4fr.

7fr.

b b

b
4fr.

Borrowing the third note from the top

8fr.

b
4fr.

23

24 | The Diminished

CHORDABILITY |

25

The Major 6/Diminished/

Major 6 Progression

A close relationship exists between two Major 6 chords that are a 4th or a 5th away from each other. A detailed explanation with many examples is found on the DVD. Here is a brief description of this concept.

The F6 chord and Bb6 chords are related to each other because the Bb6 is an inversion of Gm7, the II chord for F. Almost
all jazz tunes will have an instance in which the II chord goes to the I chord. For example, in the key of F, the Gm7 chord
(which has exactly the same notes as Bb6) will resolve to an F major chord.
The F6 chord and C6 chord also have a close relationship since the C6 chord is the upper extension of the FMaj9 chord
(see earlier chapters for a more detailed explanation). So when you move from an F6 chord to a C6 chord it is as if you are
moving from a F6 to an FMaj9.
Looking at the F6 and Bb6 chords we see that they have two notes in common, and two notes that are a whole step away
from each other. The notes in common are the F & D, the notes a whole apart are the C & A in F6 and the Bb and G in
Bb6. Below the chords are shown first in closed root position and then again in the second bar in Drop 2 voicings, with
the F in the bass for both the F6 and the Bb6.

&c

F6

Bb6

5fr.

F6

3fr.

Bb6

1fr.

If we change from Bb6 to F6 and move the two notes that are a whole step from each other a half step at a time, then in
between the two 6 chords we will find a diminished chord that is made up of the two notes that are in common and the
two notes that are between the ones that are a whole step apart. That diminished is the Bdim chord.
Here are these chords, again in a Drop 2 voicings.

&

Bb6

1fr.

B dim

b
n

3fr.

F6

3fr.

This progression, Bb6/Bdim/F6, is the one used for the famous Count Basie ending, the IV/#IVdim/I progression. This
progression is also often played at bars 5, 6 & 7 of a blues. It can also replace a II V I progression. For example, instead of
playing Gm7/C7/F6, you can play Bb6/Fdim/F6. These are not identical progressions in the sense that Fdim is the same
as C7. It isnt, but it can replace the C7, creating a different sound, and giving you another way to move from the II to the
I that can sound great and fit in nicely.

26 | The Major 6/Diminished/Major 6 Progression

The same relationship that exists between F6 and Bb6 also holds for F6 and C6. These two chords also have two notes in
common, A and C, and two notes that are a whole step away, F and D in F6, and G and E in C6. When you move the
two notes that are different a half step at a time, you get an F#dim chord in between.
Below are the F6 chord and C6 chords in root position closed voicings and then in Drop 3 voicings. The second line of
music shows, in Drop 3 voicings, the F6/F#dim/C6 progression. The diminished chord is the one you get if you move the
different notes a half step at a time.
F6

&
F6

&

C6

F # dim

7fr.

F6

C6

b
#

C6

Harmonically, the relationship between F6 and C6 could be looked at the same way as the relationship between F6 and
Bb6. If we are in the key of C, the F6/F#dim/C6 is the Count Basie ending, the IV/#IVdim/I progression, and a substitute
for a II/V/I progression, since F6 is Dm7.
The other relationship between F6 and C6 is that C6 has the top four notes of an FMaj9 chord, so when you go from F6
to C6 it is as if you are going form F6 to an FMaj9.

When we changed F6 to a Bb6 the two notes that moved in F6 were the A and C. When we changed F6 to a C6, these
two notes were the one that stayed, and the other two notes are the one that moved. Following this logic, if we start at C6,
to get to F6 we move the notes G and E down a whole step and keep the notes C and A the same. To change the F6 to a
Bb6, the C and A will move down a whole step, and the F and D will stay the same. Again, if we move these notes a half
step at a time, we will end up with a diminished chord in between. So, moving around the cycle of 4ths, from one Major
6 chord to the next, first we keep two notes and move two notes down. Then we move the notes that had stayed down
and keep the notes that moved before the same. Heres what it looks like moving from C6 to F6 then to Bb6, all with the
diminished chords that lie between them, and in Drop 2 voicings.
C6

&

5fr.

F # dim

b
#

4fr.

F6

3fr.

B dim

3fr.

Bb6

1fr.

CHORDABILITY |

27

Practicing the Major 6/Diminished/Major 6 Progression

Here is the way you should practice the transitions from one Major 6 chord to the next. Start in C6 and go around the
cycle of 4ths till you arrive at C6 again. This exercise is written in Drop 2 and Drop 3 voicings. The inversions alternate
bass notes as they move through the progression in two ways: either between the root in the base and the 5th in the base,
or, between the 3rd in the base and the 6th in the base.

Drop 2 Voicings, alternating between the root and the 5th in the base
C6

&
Eb 6

&

b b

Gb6

10fr.

b
b b b

&
A6

#
& #

6fr.

b
b

8fr.

8fr.

10fr.

C dim

A dim

G b dim

E b dim

n
b

5fr.

F6

Ab6

7fr.

8fr.

B6

D6

9fr.

10fr.

bb

B dim

A b dim

6fr.

8fr.

F dim

# #
#

D dim

9fr.

n
b

9fr.

Bb6

6fr.

Db6

7fr.

E6

n
n
9fr.

G6

D b dim

b
b

8fr.

b
b
b b

10fr.

6fr.

# #

8fr.

B b dim

G dim

8fr.

9fr.

6fr.

E dim

b b n

7fr.

C6

28 | The Major 6/Diminished/Major 6 Progression

Drop 2 Voicings, alternating between the 6th and the 3rd in the base
C6

&
Eb 6

&
Gb6

&
A6

&

7fr.

b b

4fr.

6fr.

b
b b b
2fr.

# #

A dim

G b dim

D # dim

C dim

b
b

F6

Ab6

4fr.

b
5fr.

B6

#
#
2fr.

b
n

7fr.

D6

7fr.

6fr.

A b dim

8fr.

F dim

b b

4fr.

D dim

#
# #
B dim

#
n

6fr.

G6

6fr.

Bb6

7fr.

Db6

4fr.

6fr.

b bb

4fr.

E6

n
n
5fr.

B b dim

5fr.

#
#
5fr.

G dim

E dim

C # dim

5fr.

6fr.

3fr.

n #

5fr.

C6

CHORDABILITY |

Drop 3 Voicings, alternating between the 5th and the root in the base

C6

&
Eb 6

&
Gb6

G b dim

5fr.

E b dim

7fr.

b
b b
b

&
A6

&

8fr.

4fr.

# #

b
b

F6

Ab6

5fr.

7fr.

C dim

A dim

8fr.

B6

4fr.

n #

D6

3fr.

7fr.

4fr.

b
6fr.

# ##

A b dim

F dim

D dim

B dim

3fr.

n
b

G6

7fr.

Bb6

4fr.

Db6

6fr.

3fr.

b
b
b
5fr.

E6

n n

6fr.

# #

G dim

b b

E dim

D b dim

A # dim

6fr.

3fr.

5fr.

n
#

C6

29

30 | The Major 6/Diminished/Major 6 Progression

Drop 3 Voicings, alternating between the 6th and the 3rd in the base
C6

&
Eb 6

&
Gb6

&
A6

&

bb

12fr.

8fr.

Gb6

6fr.

E b dim

b
b
b
b

7fr.

A dim

C dim

b
b

Ab6

8fr.

b b

B6

D6

F6

5fr.

7fr.

#
n

11fr.

7fr.

10fr.

8fr.

4fr.

# #
#

B dim

A b dim

F dim

D dim

6fr.

n
#

10fr.

Bb6

7fr.

Db6

4fr.

5fr.

B b dim

4fr.

b b b

E6

n
n

G6

10fr.

9fr.

#
5fr.

C6

G dim

E dim

C # dim

9fr.

6fr.

8fr.

n
#

5fr.

CHORDABILITY |

31

The Major and Minor 6

Diminished Scales

The scales we are about to discuss will enrich your harmonic concepts enormously. We are all indebted to the wonderful
work of Barry Harris, who discovered these scales. By showing us the possibilities they offer, he made it possible for all of
us to incorporate them into our playing.
The major and minor 6 diminished scales are a combination of the 6 chord and the diminished chord that belongs to the
dominant (the V) of the 6 chord. Thus the C6 diminished scale consists of the C6 chord, and the Ddim chord.
Note: The Ddim chord contains the top four notes of the G7b9 chord, which is the dominant of C.

4
&4

The C6 chord

The Ddim chord

When we combine these two chords we get the major 6 diminished scale. It has the same notes as the major scale, with
the flatted 6th added, making it an eight-note scale. By playing the inversions of the two chords on the successive notes of
the scale, we get a set of chords built on each degree of the scale.

The C6 Diminished Scale

&

C6

Ddim

2fr.

4fr.

&

C6

Fdim
5fr.

C6

7fr.

5fr.

A bdim

C6

6fr.

Bdim
7fr.

C6

9fr.

10fr.

The minor 6 diminished scale is based on the same principals as the major one, but the third is flatted to make it into a
minor.
The Cm6 chord
The Ddim chord

&

The Cm6 Diminished Scale

&

Cm6

b
&

Ddim

2fr.

Cm6

4fr.

Fdim
5fr.

n
b

Cm6

7fr.

4fr.

A bdim

Cm6

6fr.

Bdim
7fr.

9fr.

Cm6
10fr.

32 | The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

Practicing The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

The Major 6 Diminished in Drop 2 Voicings
C6 Diminished scale
C6

4fr.

2fr.

Fdim
5fr.

&

C6

Ddim

F6 Diminished scale
F6

F6

Gdim

3fr.

&b
b

B 6 Diminished scale
B b6

&b

Cdim
5fr.

7fr.

E 6 Diminished scale

&

bbb

Fdim
5fr.

7fr.

5fr.

F6

8fr.

C6

4fr.

Bdim
7fr.

D bdim

F6

E bdim

B b6

G bdim

B b6

5fr.

8fr.

E b6

7fr.

B bdim

E b6

B b6

A bdim

C6

10fr.

3fr.

7fr.

A bdim

E b6

11fr.

8fr.

Bdim
8fr.

9fr.

Edim
5fr.

E b6

C6

9fr.

Adim

7fr.

Ddim
10fr.

F6

10fr.

10fr.

12fr.

3fr.

B b6

E b6

8fr.

13fr.

CHORDABILITY |

A 6 Diminished scale
3fr.

bb
&b b

5fr.

8fr.

6fr.

5fr.

6fr.

8fr.

5fr.

6fr.

D 6 Diminished scale
3fr.

bbb
b
& b
b

5fr.

4fr.

8fr.

6fr.

7fr.

7fr.

10fr.

G 6 Diminished scale
3fr.

b
& b b b b b

4fr.

3fr.

6fr.

4fr.

6fr.

1fr.

4fr.

B6 Diminished scale

&

####

3fr.

4fr.

6fr.

5fr.

6fr.

8fr.

7fr.

33

34 | The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

E6 Diminished scale
4fr.

# # # #
&

5fr.

7fr.

9fr.

10fr.

11fr.

13fr.

4fr.

11fr.

14fr.

7fr.

12fr.

5fr.

A6 Diminished scale

###
&

9fr.

4fr.

7fr.

9fr.

6fr.

7fr.

9fr.

D6 Diminished scale
4fr.

&

##

6fr.

9fr.

6fr.

7fr.

8fr.

9fr.

G6 Diminished scale
2fr.

&

4fr.

5fr.

7fr.

4fr.

5fr.

7fr.

4fr.

CHORDABILITY |

The Minor 6 Diminished in Drop 2 Voicings

Cm6 Diminished scale
2fr.

4fr.

5fr.

b n b n
b
& b

7fr.

4fr.

6fr.

7fr.

b
n

9fr.

10fr.

3fr.

8fr.

Fm6 Diminished scale

3fr.

&
b

bbbb

3fr.

n b n

5fr.

5fr.

b
n

B m6 Diminished scale
5fr.

7fr.

8fr.

& b b b b n b n

10fr.

6fr.

8fr.

10fr.

b
n

7fr.

E m6 Diminished scale
5fr.

b b b b n
b
& b

7fr.

n
n

8fr.

11fr.

7fr.

n
n

9fr.

10fr.

12fr.

n
n

13fr.

35

36 | The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

G#m6 Diminished scale

G m6

&

####

# #

C#m6 Diminished scale

C m6

####
#
&

F#m6 Diminished scale

F m6

&

###

Bm6 Diminished scale

Bm6

&

##

A #dim

G m6

C dim

G m6

Edim

G m6

Gdim

n n

#
#

n
n

C m6

C m6

F dim

C m6

Adim

C m6

Cdim

n n

#
#

#
#

n
n

F m6

Bdim

F m6

Ddim

F m6

Fdim

n n

# #

#
#

n
n

C #dim

Bm6

Edim

Bm6

Gdim

Bm6

A #dim

n
#

# n #

D dim

G dim

G m6

F m6

Bm6

CHORDABILITY |

Em6 Diminished scale

2fr.

4fr.

5fr.

# # n #
&

7fr.

8fr.

10fr.

11fr.

n
#

13fr.

n
#

6fr.

b
#

11fr.

14fr.

7fr.

12fr.

5fr.

Am6 Diminished scale

4fr.

&

9fr.

7fr.

# n #

9fr.

5fr.

7fr.

9fr.

Dm6 Diminished scale

4fr.

6fr.

7fr.

b #
b
n

&

9fr.

6fr.

8fr.

9fr.

Gm6 Diminished scale

2fr.

b
b
& n b #

4fr.

5fr.

7fr.

3fr.

5fr.

7fr.

b
#

4fr.

37

38 | The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

The Major 6 Diminished in Drop 3 Voicings

C6 Diminished scale
C6
7fr.

9fr.

&

C6

Ddim

Fdim
10fr.

12fr.

F6 Diminished scale
F6

F6

n b

B b6

3fr.

&b
b

B 6 Diminished scale

b
&b

B b6

Cdim

&

E b6

bbb

Fdim
5fr.

3fr.

E 6 Diminished scale
7fr.

8fr.

B bdim

F6

Gdim

E b6

n b

8fr.

A bdim

C6

C6

10fr.

Bdim
12fr.

D bdim

F6

E bdim

B b6

G bdim

B b6

A bdim

E b6

5fr.

5fr.

10fr.

4fr.

6fr.

8fr.

Bdim
11fr.

6fr.

E b6

C6
13fr.

Edim

11fr.

Ddim
8fr.

9fr.

F6
6fr.

Adim
10fr.

14fr.

B b6

E b6

7fr.

12fr.

10fr.

CHORDABILITY |

A 6 Diminished scale
3fr.

bb
&b b

6fr.

8fr.

9fr.

n b

5fr.

6fr.

8fr.

13fr.

11fr.

11fr.

9fr.

10fr.

D 6 Diminished scale
8fr.

&

bbbb

10fr.

n b

6fr.

8fr.

9fr.

11fr.

7fr.

8fr.

G 6 Diminished scale
4fr.

& b b b b b

6fr.

n b

7fr.

9fr.

12fr.

12fr.

12fr.

B6 Diminished scale
6fr.

&

####

8fr.

9fr.

6fr.

7fr.

9fr.

13fr.

39

40 | The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

E6 Diminished scale

# # # #
&

6fr.

8fr.

9fr.

11fr.

5fr.

7fr.

10fr.

9fr.

11fr.

A6 Diminished scale
4fr.

###
&

6fr.

6fr.

9fr.

5fr.

7fr.

9fr.

10fr.

11fr.

D6 Diminished scale

&

##

9fr.

11fr.

5fr.

9fr.

10fr.

12fr.

7fr.

8fr.

9fr.

G6 Diminished scale
4fr.

&

5fr.

7fr.

8fr.

10fr.

12fr.

8fr.

9fr.

CHORDABILITY |

The Minor 6 Diminished in Drop 3 Voicings

Cm6 Diminished scale
9fr.

7fr.

b
b
& b n

11fr.

7fr.

b n

8fr.

10fr.

11fr.

b
n

13fr.

b
n

6fr.

b
n

11fr.

12fr.

5fr.

12fr.

Fm6 Diminished scale

3fr.

b
& b b b n

5fr.

b n

3fr.

4fr.

B m6 Diminished scale
3fr.

b
& b b b nb

5fr.

n b n

6fr.

8fr.

9fr.

E m6 Diminished scale

b
b
& b b b b n

5fr.

7fr.

n b n

8fr.

n n

10fr.

11fr.

6fr.

n
n

7fr.

n
n

9fr.

10fr.

41

42 | The Major and Minor 6 Diminished Scales

G#m6 Diminished scale

G m6

&

####

3fr.

# #

C#m6 Diminished scale

C #m6

8fr.

# # # #
#
&

F#m6 Diminished scale

F m6

&

###

#
A dim
5fr.

Bm6

C dim
8fr.

b #
n #

F dim

D dim
10fr.

C m6
11fr.

8fr.

n n

G #dim

F m6

Bdim
6fr.

#
#

n n

#
C dim

Bm6

Edim

6fr.

&

6fr.

4fr.

Bm6 Diminished scale

##

G #m6

8fr.

9fr.

6fr.

n #

G m6
9fr.

# n
b
#

C m6

9fr.

7fr.

11fr.

#
#

9fr.

#
#

n
n

9fr.

7fr.

10fr.

Fdim

F m6

n
#

8fr.

n
n

10fr.

C m6

n
n

12fr.

A #dim

Bm6

G m6

12fr.

10fr.

Gdim

Cdim

Gdim
7fr.

F m6
9fr.

#
#

5fr.

C m6

Ddim

Bm6

6fr.

Adim

F #m6

G m6

Edim

12fr.

13fr.

Bm6

13fr.

CHORDABILITY |

Em6 Diminished scale

6fr.

# #
&

8fr.

9fr.

11fr.

# n #

5fr.

7fr.

10fr.

11fr.

n
#

8fr.

Am6 Diminished scale

4fr.

&

6fr.

7fr.

9fr.

# n #

5fr.

7fr.

12fr.

8fr.

n
#

10fr.

11fr.

Dm6 Diminished scale

9fr.

&b

11fr.

7fr.

9fr.

n b #

10fr.

6fr.

8fr.

#
#

9fr.

Gm6 Diminished scale

4fr.

&

bb

5fr.

7fr.

n b #

8fr.

10fr.

11fr.

b
#

8fr.

9fr.

43