Drop 2 Voicings Explained

Both Hands·Intermediate·Difficulty 3/5

Drop 2 voicings are central to the Barry Harris method and are covered extensively in Levine's Jazz Piano Masterclass: The Drop 2 Book (Sher Music). The technique takes a close position voicing and drops the second voice from the top down an octave.

What it is

Start with a close position chord, then take the second note from the top and drop it down one octave. The result is a wider, more open voicing that spans both hands. Drop 2 voicings are the bread and butter of jazz guitar but equally powerful on piano for right-hand comping or chord melody.

How to build it

Take any close position voicing [1, 2, 3, 4 from bottom]. Drop note 3 (2nd from top) down an octave. Result: [3-12, 1, 2, 4]. Four inversions possible.

When to use it

For right-hand voicings over a left-hand bass note. In chord melody arrangements. When you want a wider, more transparent sound than close position. Drop 2 gives you four inversions per chord — practice all four to cover the full keyboard range.

Examples

Dm7Drop 2
G7Drop 2
Stage 4Close Position & Drop 2 — Learning Path
Try a ii-V-I with this style

Standards that work well with this style

Related voicing styles

Get 50 Essential Jazz Voicings (Free PDF)

Enter your email and we'll send it straight to your inbox.

Sources & Further Reading