Drop 3 chords for jazz guitar were actually one of the first things I really learned. And as it turns out, they’re a pretty great first set of chords to know.
My very first jazz guitar teacher showed them to me as a part of his own movable chord system (which had another shape in there too, but mostly it was drop 3).
I was pretty young learning this stuff, so I just didn’t realize what these chords were until much later. Drop 3 chords are just a specific group of jazz guitar chords – and many of them have finger patterns you already know.
Drop 3 chords are a great set of chord shapes to learn, because they will let you:
- Build any jazz guitar chord you need as you play
- Get a great, full sound for playing in solo or duo situations
- Learn the guitar fretboard by playing chords in songs
- Learn all about “inversions” as you go (it’s really nothing special)
How Drop 3 Chords Are Made
The label Drop 3 is fairly new for guitar chords. It’s actually a term we commonly find in jazz education… commonly used for piano voicings and big band arranging.
These chords have been around for a long time, but they weren’t always called “drop 3” on guitar…
In fact, different players sometimes had different names for these chords. Chuck Wayne referred to these as “spread voicings” in his book Chords, and Jack Grassel called them “Rhythm Chords” in his book Guitar Seeds.
Today, we usually know these chords by the name Drop 3 voicings. Whatever you want to call these chords, they’re just good chord shapes that fit nicely under your fingers on the fretboard.
The important thing is to learn how to play them. Here’s how to create these chord in theory:
You should convert a normal chord into a Drop 3 chord by taking your typical chord stacked in 3rds (1 3 5 7) and lowering the 3rd note from the top of the chord (the 3 in this case).
Now, you’ll notice that more than one note changes strings in the TAB, even though the pitch doesn’t change in the notation.
That’s because when we drop the 3rd note from the top down an octave, it creates kind of an awkward finger pattern. Playable, but awkward.
So what we need to do is move something (the root note in this case) in order to make a friendlier finger pattern.
Check out the graphics below to see this step-by step. (You don’t really need to know how to do this… it’s just interesting to see how it works for theory’s sake.)
Next we’ll learn the basic finger patterns for these chords.
Visualizing and Expanding Drop 3 Chords:
You’ll learn your Drop 3 chords for jazz guitar quickly when you can see them, and play them on your own guitar For each type of chord, there will be 4 shapes, each with a root note on a different string. This does a few things for you:
- Makes it easy to find your next chord nearby – usually within a couple of frets at most
- Lets you play the same chord at different areas of the fretboard
- Automatically teaches you the inversions of each chord (an inversion is any time there is a note other than the root as the lowest note of your chord)
Here’s a quick look:
Major 7: You can create your Major 7th chords by using the root (1), major third (3), perfect fifth (5), and major seventh (7).
Dominant 7: You can make a Dominant 7th chord by using the root (1), major third (3), perfect fifth (5), and minor/flat seventh (b7).
Minor 7: To build a minor seventh chord, you would use the root (1), minor/flat third (b3), perfect fifth (5), and minor/flat seventh (b7).
Minor 7b5: You can make a Minor seventh flat five chords (or half-diminished chord) by using the root (1), minor/flat third (b3), diminished/flat fifth (b5), and minor/flat seventh (b7).
Diminished 7: You can build a diminished 7th chord by using the root (1), minor/flat third (b3), diminished/flat fifth (b5) and a diminished/double-flat seventh (bb7).
Be sure to learn all 4 shapes of each of these chords. It will give you a real advantage when it comes to playing jazz standards, and keep you from having to move your hand all over the fretboard to play your chords.
Benefits of Embracing Drop 3 Chords:
Honestly, these are my go-to chord shapes whenever I’m practicing or playing by myself. You get a nice, full sound because the chords use the 6th string as a bass note, and plenty of middle and higher notes with the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings.
That makes the Drop 3 chord shape a nice, balanced chord that’s great for practicing walking basslines, playing solo, or accompanying another musician.
I’ve also had good luck using these chords in big bands and more traditional jazz groups over the last several years.
Practice Tips:
Learn the chord shapes. First things first, you need to learn the chord shapes from this lesson. If you want to be able to crack open the real book and play through tunes, you need to know these chord shapes.
But like I tell my students – there are kind of a lot of chords to know… but there also aren’t that many. Chip away at these cords, and you’ll be playing tunes in no time.
Learn your major 7th chords first, and then go from there. Work your way down the page and you’ll find it’s a pretty logical progression all the way to diminished 7th chords.
Play your chords everywhere. Make sure you practice your chords in every key, all over the fretboard. This can be as simple as playing the same chord shape fret-by-fret as you move up the neck, or you can create exercises for yourself like playing chords around the cycle of 4ths.
Use these chords as you play. As soon as possible, start using these chord shapes exclusively when you’re playing jazz standards.
If you have other chords that are easier for you because you’ve been using them for a longer time… ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. At least for now.
It’s ok if using these new chords slows you down for a little bit, or you have to keep looking them up for a while. That’s how you learn. So make it a rule during your practice sessions that you can only use drop 3 chords until they are easy for you.
Remember – the more you play these chords, the easier they are going to be for you!
Closing Thoughts:
Drop 3 chords are one of the essential movable chord shapes you need to know in jazz guitar. THey’re also relatively easy to learn and get under your fingers.
By mastering these chord shapes you’ll develop a solid foundation in jazz guitar chords that will serve you well for years. With their rich, full sound these are a great option for playing solo guitar, or accompanying other musicians.
Keep playing, and be sure to share this lesson with someone who would find it helpful!