Drop 2 Turnarounds - 4321 String Set

Drop 2 voicings are some of the most popular and important chords in jazz. 

Players like Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass used these shapes and created some of the most memorable chord solos in jazz history.

Learning to play drop 2 chords is an essential skill that every jazz guitarist needs to work through at one point or another in your development. 

But. 

While knowing these shapes and their inversions is a great start, the rubber really meets the road when you take these voicings through turnarounds. 

In this lesson, you learn drop 2 chord voicings on the top four strings through a ii-V-I-VI turnaround progression. 

Each phrase below starts with a different inversion of the iim7 chord and uses voice leading to stay in place on the fretboard through the full turnaround. 

Have fun adding these essential turnaround chords to your comping, chord soloing, and chord melody performances. 

Drop 2 Turnaround 1

The first turnaround contains the following inversions for each chord change. 

• Dm7 – Root
• G7 – 2nd Inversion
• Cmaj7 – Root
• A7b9(C#dim7) – Root

Drop 2 Turnaround 2

The second turnaround contains the following inversions for each chord change. 

• Dm7 – 1st inversion
• G7 – 3rd Inversion
• Cmaj7 – 1st Inversion
• A7b9(C#dim7) – 1st inversion

Drop 2 Turnaround 3

The third turnaround contains the following inversions for each chord change. 

• Dm7 – 2nd Inversion
• G7 – Root
• Cmaj7 – 2nd Inversion
• A7b9(C#dim7) – 2nd inversion

Drop 2 Turnaround 4

The fourth turnaround contains the following inversions for each chord change. 

• Dm7 – 3rd Inversion
• G7 – 1st Inversion
• Cmaj7 – 3rd Inversion
• A7b9(C#dim7) – 3rd inversion