Chord Melody and Drop 2 Chords For Mandolin PDF

Chord Melody
and
Drop 2
Chord Voicings
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2015 by Pete Martin

1
Table of Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1 Introduction to Drop 2 Chords .....................................................5
Section 1: Major Drop 2

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
C Major Drop 2 .............................................................................9

F Major Drop 2 ............................................................................. 14
Bb Major Drop 2 ...........................................................................19
Eb Major Drop 2 ........................................................................... 24
Ab Major Drop 2 ...........................................................................29
Db Major Drop 2 ...........................................................................34
Gb Major Drop 2 ...........................................................................39
B Major Drop 2 .............................................................................44
E Major Drop 2 ............................................................................. 49
A Major Drop 2 .............................................................................54
D Major Drop 2 .............................................................................59
G Major Drop 2 .............................................................................64
Section 2: Dominant Drop 2

Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Constructing Dominant Seventh Drop 2 Chords........................... 69

C Dominant Drop 2 .......................................................................71
F Dominant Drop 2 ..................................................................... 76
Bb Dominant Drop 2 .....................................................................81
Eb Dominant Drop 2 .....................................................................86
Ab Dominant Drop 2 .................................................................... 91
Db Dominant Drop 2 .................................................................... 96
Gb Dominant Drop 2 .....................................................................101
B Dominant Drop 2 .......................................................................106
E Dominant Drop 2 .......................................................................111
A Dominant Drop 2 .......................................................................116
D Dominant Drop 2 .......................................................................121
G Dominant Drop 2 .......................................................................126
Section 3: Minor/Major Drop 2

Chapter 27 Constructing Minor/Major Drop 2 Chords.................................... 131
Chapter 28 C Minor/Major Drop 2 ..................................................................135
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
F Minor/Major Drop 2 ...............................................................................140

Bb Minor/Major Drop 2 ........................................................................... 145
Eb Minor/Major Drop 2 ........................................................................... 150
Ab Minor/Major Drop 2 ........................................................................... 155
Db Minor/Major Drop 2 ........................................................................... 160
Gb Minor/Major Drop 2 ........................................................................... 165
B Minor/Major Drop 2 ............................................................................. 170
E Minor/Major Drop 2 ............................................................................. 175
A Minor/Major Drop 2 ............................................................................. 180
D Minor/Major Drop 2 ............................................................................. 185
G Minor/Major Drop 2 ............................................................................. 190
Section 4: Other Drop 2 Chords

Chapter 40 Diminished Drop 2 .................................................................................... 195
Chapter 41 Minor Seventh and Half Diminished Drop 2 ............................................ 202
Section 5: Chord Melody

Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Introduction to Chord Melody .................................................................. 206

How to Construct Chord Melody .............................................................. 212
II V I Major Mack th Knife Chord Progression......................................... 215
Honeysuckle Rose Chord Progression....................................................... 218
Lady Be Good Chord Progression............................................................. 223
There Will Never Be Another You Chord Progression.............................. 228
Minor II V I Softly as in a Morning Sunrise Chord Progression............... 233
Section 6: Two Wes Montgomery Solos

Chapter 49 King of the Road ....................................................................................... 238
Chapter 50 Gone with the Wind ...................................................................................242
Appendix
Appendix 1: Chord Spellings ....................................................................................... 253
Appendix 2: Notes Names On The Mandolin Fingerboard .......................................... 255
Appendix 3: Two Octave Major Scale Note Names and Numbers .............................. 256
Appendix 4: Blank Mandolin Fingerboard Charts ........................................................ 257
Appendix 5: Mandolin and Fiddle Instruction Books by Pete Martin ...........................258
Introduction
To request MIDI files for this book (free)
Email
pete@petimarpress.com
Chord melody is a very common sound in jazz. There are many books, videos
and web sites to teach this for pianists and guitarists, but not for mandolin. Thus the
need for this book.
Chord melody is often played using drop 2 chord voicings (see chapter 1 for
an explanation of what these are). Drop 2 works very well, so anyone wanting to
get into this important part of jazz should study drop 2 chord voicings.
In chord melody, the melody note is on top and the rest of the notes of the
chord are underneath the melody note. This makes the melody easy to hear and
understand and allows us plenty of color to add beneath the melody. In this book,
we will learn drop 2 chord voicings first, sections 1 through 4. Section 5 will show
how to use drop 2 chords for chord melody arrangements and chord soloing.
This book has written music notation and tablature. They are both written for
5 string mandolin (tuned CGDAE low to high). However, one can easily use these
examples for 4 or 8 stringed mandolins (tuned GDAE low to high), by just ignoring
the 5th string notes in the tab and anything written below the open G string on 4 or
8 stringed mandolins.
This book is one of my many instruction books for mandolin and fiddle
players. for more, see www.PetimarPress.com or www.Jazz-Mandolin.com. Thank
you and best of luck with your music!
Pete Martin
Chapter 1
An Introduction to Drop 2 Chords
Jazz pianists and guitarists use many types of chord voicings in chord melodies, chord soloing and comping (accompanying a singer or soloist). Drop 2 chords
are a certain type of chord voicing that is especially useful in chord melody and
improvised chord soloing.
In chord melody (tunes and improvised solos), we use the highest note in a
chord as the melody of the chord. We play the highest note where we want and
put the type of chord sound we want underneath. Drop 2 chord voicings may be
the most used chord voicings for chord melody. This is a good reason to study and
learn them.
To explain how drop 2 voicings work, we need to look specifically at what is
called 4 way close voicings. This type of sound is used often in barbershop quartets
and horn arrangements in larger jazz bands. In 4 way close, for major chords we
use the notes of the sixth chord and the notes of the Bebop Major Scale (for a complete study of Bebop scales, see my book Bebop Scales for Mandolin and Violin).
In the key of C, the bebop major scale would have the notes C D E F G G# A B.
Notice this is just a C major scale with an added G#. See this in example 1.
In case you didnt read the introduction, the

music and tablature in this book are for 5 string
mandolin. Regular mandolin players ignore any
notes below the open G string and the bottom
line of the tablature, which is the low C string
on the 5 string mandolin. Also MIDI files are
available for all examples. See the introduction
for further information.
4 way close major voicings use a sixth chord voiced within one octave. Musically we see this in example 2.
For drop 2 voicings, we simply take the note second from the top and drop it
an octave. This is shown in example 3.
Compare example 2 and example 3. Listen to the MIDI files (check the introduction for information on getting these MIDI files).
In example 2 and example 3, there is no tab for this as these voicings cant be
played on mandolin. There are simply more notes than we can fit onto the fingerboard. What we have to do is trim these voicings down from 4 note to 3 note voicings by removing one of the middle two notes. When I learned these, I found the
more pleasing sound to my ear was to remove the 3rd note from the top. When this
is done, we have very good 3 note mandolin voicings.
Notice we have three note C6 voicings in all except the third chord. These
notes are top to bottom G C E, which are the 3 notes of a C Major chord. This is
not a very jazzy sound. If we change the C note to B, we now have a 3 note C Major Seventh chord, a much jazzier sound. This is shown in example 5.
Now using the notes of the C major bebop scale, we can go up the scale in
drop 2 voicings. This is shown in example 6.
We will look at all the keys starting in chapter 2.
Chapter 2
C Major Drop 2
In chapter 1 we saw how to construct drop 2 major chords. Here we will look
at how to practice these for C major. First thing is learn the useable range of drop
2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 12th fret on the E string. Remember,
the top notes of these chords are just the notes of the C major bebop scale. This is
shown in example 7.
Next, learn the same going down the scale, shown in example 8.
Next, learn all the C6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 9.
Next, learn all the C6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 10.
Next, learn all the non C6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 11.
Example 11 contains 3 string diminished chords. We can think of them as F,

G#, A and D diminished, or all the same diminished chord (remember a diminished
chord has 4 names). We can also think of these as G7b9 with no root. If you look
at example 7 again, you will see C6 alternating with G7b9. This walks up the C
major bebop scale nicely!
Example 12 shows an ascending scale exercise of walking up C6 inversions
and G7b9 inversions. Using the C major bebop scale, we go up to notes, down one,
up two, down one, etc.
Example 13 shows walking down alternation C6 inversions and G7b9 inversions.
When you can do all the exercises in this chapter comfortably, proceed to
chapter 3.
Chapter 3
F Major Drop 2
The F major bebop scale has the notes F G A Bb C C# D E F. As before, we will build
the F major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 12th fret on the E string. This is shown in example 14.
Next, learn all the F6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 16.
Next, learn all the F6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 17.
Next, learn all the non F6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 18. These are
all C7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the non F6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 19.
Example 20 shows walking up alternation F6 inversions and C7b9 inversions.
Example 21 shows walking down alternation F6 inversions and C7b9 inversions.
When you can do all the exercises in this chapter comfortably, proceed to chapter 4.
Chapter 4
Bb Major Drop 2
The Bb major bebop scale has the notes Bb C D Eb F F# G A Bb. As before,
we will build the Bb major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn the
useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 12th fret on the
E string. This is shown in example 22.
Learn the same going down the scale, shown in example 23.
Learn all the Bb6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 24.
Learn all the Bb6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 25.
Learn all the non Bb6 (F7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
26.
Example 27 shows walking up alternating Bb6 and F7b9 inversions.
Example 28 shows walking down alternation Bb6 inversions and F7b9 inversions.
chapter 5.
Chapter 5
Eb Major Drop 2
The Eb major bebop scale has the notes Eb F G Ab Bb B C D Eb. As before,
we will build the Eb major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn the
Next, learn all the Eb6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 31.
Next, learn all the Eb6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 32.
I
Next, learn all the non Eb6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 33.
These are all Bb7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the Bb7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 34.
Example 35 shows walking up alternation Eb6 inversions and Bb7b9 inversions.
Example 36 shows walking down alternation Eb6 inversions and Bb7b9 inversions.
chapter 6.
Chapter 6
Ab Major Drop 2
The Ab major bebop scale has the notes Ab Bb C Db Eb E F G Ab. As before,
we will build the Ab major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn the
Learn all the Ab6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 39.
Learn all the Ab6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 40.
Learn all the non Ab6 (Eb7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
41.
Example 42 shows walking up alternating Ab6 and Eb7b9 inversions.
Example 43 shows walking down alternation Ab6 inversions and Eb7b9 inversions.
chapter 7.
Chapter 7
Db Major Drop 2
The Db major bebop scale has the notes Db Eb F Gb Ab A Bb C Db. As before, we will build the Db major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn
the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 11th fret on
the E string. This is shown in example 44.
Next, learn all the Db6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 46.
Next, learn all the Db6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 47.
Next, learn all the non Db6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
48. These are all Ab7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the Ab7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 49.
Example 50 shows walking up alternation Db6 inversions and Ab7b9 inversions.
Example 51 shows walking down alternation Db inversions and Ab7b9 inversions.
chapter 8.
Chapter 8
Gb Major Drop 2
The Gb major bebop scale has the notes Gb Ab Bb Cb Db D Eb E F Gb. As
before, we will build the Gb major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is
learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 11th
fret on the E string. This is shown in example 52.
Learn all the Gb6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 54.
Learn all the Gb6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 55.
Learn all the non Gb6 (Db7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 56.
Example 57 shows walking up alternating Gb6 and Db7b9 inversions.
Example 58 shows walking down alternation Gb6 inversions and Db7b9 inversions.
chapter 9.
Chapter 9
B Drop 2
The B major bebop scale has the notes B C# D# E F# G G# A# B. As before,
we will build the D major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 11th fret on the E
string. This is shown in example 59.
Next, learn all the B6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 61.
Next, learn all the Bb6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 62.
Next, learn all the non B6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 63.
These are all F#7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the F#7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 64.
Example 65 shows walking up alternation B6 inversions and F#7b9 inversions.
Example 66 shows walking down alternation B inversions and F#7b9 inversions.
chapter 10.
Chapter 10
E Major Drop 2
The E major bebop scale has the notes E F# G# A B C C# D# E. As before,
we will build the E major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 12th fret on the E
string. This is shown in example 67.
Learn all the E6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 69.
Learn all the E6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 70.
Learn all the non E6 (B7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
71.
Example 72 shows walking up alternating E6 and B7b9 inversions.
Example 73 shows walking down alternation E6 inversions and B7b9 inversions.
chapter 11.
Chapter 11
A Major Drop 2
The A major bebop scale has the notes A B C# D E F F# G# A. As before, we will build the A major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn the
Next, learn all the A6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 76.
Next, learn all the A6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 77.
Next, learn all the non A6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 78.
These are all E7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the E7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 79.
Example 80 shows walking up alternation A6 inversions and E7b9 inversions.
Example 81 shows walking down alternation A inversions and E7b9 inversions.
chapter 12.
Chapter 12
D Major Drop 2
The D major bebop scale has the notes D E F# G A Bb B C# D. As
before, we will build the D major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn
Learn all the D6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 84.
Learn all the D6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 85.
Learn all the non D6 (A7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
86.
Learn all the non D6 (A7b9) drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
87.
Example 88 shows walking up alternating D6 and A7b9 inversions.
Example 89 shows walking down alternation D6 inversions and A7b9 inversions.
chapter 13.
Chapter 13
G Major Drop 2
The G major bebop scale has the notes G A B C D D# E F# G. As before, we will build the G major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is learn
Next, learn all the G6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 92.
Next, learn all the G6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 93.
Next, learn all the non G6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 94.
These are all D7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the D7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 95.
Example 96 shows walking up alternation G6 inversions and D7b9 inversions.
Example 97 shows walking down alternation A inversions and E7b9 inversions.
learning dominant drop 2 in chapter 14.
Chapter 14
Constructing Dominant Seventh Drop 2 chords
We build dominant seventh drop 2 chords just like we did with major drop 2
chords, except we use the dominant bebop scale. For the key of c the dominant bebop scale is C D E F G A Bb B C. Notice every other note, C E G Bb, are the notes
that make the C dominant seventh chord (written as C7).
Example 2 shows 4 C7 chords voiced in 4 way close (see chapter 1 for an
explanation of 4 way close) voicings. There is no mandolin tablature on the next 2
examples as these cannot fit on the mandolin due to its tuning.
If we drop the second to highest note in each voicing we have C7 drop 2 voicings. This is shown in example 99.
Removing one of the two middle notes leaves us with drop 2 voicings we can
play on the mandolin. See this in example 100.
For the other notes in the C dominant bebop scale, we simply put diminished
chords underneath as we did in the major drop 2 voicings. The whole scale in drop
2 is shown in example 101.
We start out study of these voicings in all keys in chapter 15.
Chapter 15
C Dominant Drop 2
In chapter 14 we saw how to construct dominant seventh drop 2 chords.
Here we will look at how to practice these for C dominant. First thing is learn the
E string. Remember, the top notes of these chords are just the notes of the C dominant bebop scale. This is shown in example 102.
Next, learn all the C7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 104.
Next, learn all the C7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 105.
Next, learn all the non C7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
106.
Example 106 contains 3 string diminished chords. Unlike the major drop 2
voicings, these are not all the same diminished chord. The diminished chord with
the A note on top is different. No need to fret (pun definitely intended) about this, it
is just the way these work.
Next, learn all the non C7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
107.
Example 108 shows walking up alternation C7 inversions and non C7 diminished voicings.
Example 109 shows walking down alternation C7 inversions and non C7 diminished voicings.
chapter 16.
Chapter 16
F Dominant Drop 2
Here we will look at how to construct and practice F dominant chord scale in
drop 2. The F dominant bebop scale is the notes F G A Bb C D Eb E F. First thing
is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the
13th fret on the E string. This is shown in example 110.
Next, learn all the F7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 112.
Next, learn all the F7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 113.
Next, learn all the non F7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 114.
Next, learn all the non F7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
115.
Example 116 shows walking up alternation F7 inversions and non F7 diminished voicings.
Example 117 shows walking down alternation F7 inversions and non F7 diminished voicings.
chapter 17.
Chapter 17
Bb Dominant Drop 2
Here we will look at how to construct and practice Bb dominant chord scale in
drop 2. The Bb dominant bebop scale is the notes Bb C D Eb F G Ab A Bb. First
thing is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to
the 13th fret on the E string. This is shown in example 118.
Next, learn all the Bb7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 120.
Next, learn all the Bb7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 121.
Next, learn all the non Bb7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
122.
Next, learn all the non Bb7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
123.
Example 124 shows walking up alternation Bb7 inversions and non Bb7 diminished voicings.
Example 125 shows walking down alternation Bb7 inversions and non Bb7
diminished voicings.
chapter 18.
Chapter 18
Eb Dominant Drop 2
Here we will look at how to construct and practice Eb dominant chord
scale in drop 2. The Eb dominant bebop scale is the notes Eb F G A Bb C Db D Eb.
First thing is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up
to the 11th fret on the E string. This is shown in example 126.
Next, learn all the Eb7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 128.
Next, learn all the Eb7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 129.
Next, learn all the non Eb7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
130.
Next, learn all the non E7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
131.
Example 132 shows walking up alternation Eb7 inversions and non Eb7 diminished voicings.
Example 133 shows walking down alternation Eb7 inversions and non Eb7
chapter 19.
Chapter 19
Ab Dominant Drop 2
The Ab dominant bebop scale is the notes Ab Bb C Db Eb F Gb G Ab.
Next, learn all the Ab7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 136.
Next, learn all the Ab7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 137.
Next, learn all the non Ab7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
138.
Next, learn all the non Ab7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
139.
Example 140 shows walking up alternation Ab7 inversions and non Ab7 diminished voicings.
Example 141 shows walking down alternation Ab7 inversions and non Ab7
chapter 20.
Chapter 20
Db Dominant Drop 2
Here we will look at how to construct and practice Db dominant chord
scale in drop 2. The Db dominant bebop scale is the notes Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb B C
Db. First thing is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can
go up to the 13th fret on the E string. This is shown in example 142.
Next, learn all the Db7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 144.
Next, learn all the Db7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 145.
Next, learn all the non Db7 drop 2 diminished inversions ascending, shown in
example 146.
Next, learn all the non Db7 drop 2 diminished inversions descending, shown
in example 147.
Example 148 shows walking up alternation Db7 inversions and non Db7
Example 149 shows walking down alternation Db7 inversions and non Db7
chapter 21.
Chapter 21
Gb Dominant Drop 2
The Gb dominant bebop scale is the notes Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb E F Gb. First
Next, learn all the Gb7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 152.
Next, learn all the Gb7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 153.
Next, learn all the non Gb7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
154.
Next, learn all the non Gb7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
155.
Example 156 shows walking up alternation Gb7 inversions and non Gb7 diminished voicings.
Example 157 shows walking down alternation Gb7 inversions and non Gb7
chapter 22.
Chapter 22
B Dominant Drop 2
We will construct and practice B dominant chord scale in drop 2. The B
dominant bebop scale is the notes B C# D# E F# G# A A# B. First thing is learn the
Next, learn all the B7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 160.
Next, learn all the B7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 161.
Next, learn all the non B7 drop 2 diminished inversions ascending, shown in
example 162.
Next, learn all the non B7 drop 2 diminished inversions descending, shown in
example 163.
Example 164 shows walking up alternation B7 inversions and non B7 diminished voicings.
Example 165 shows walking down alternation B7 inversions and non B7 diminished voicings.
chapter 23.
Chapter 23
E Dominant Drop 2
The E dominant bebop scale is the notes E F# G# A B C# D D# E. First thing
Next, learn all the E7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 168.
Next, learn all the E7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 169.
Next, learn all the non E7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 170.
Next, learn all the non E7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
171.
Example 172 shows walking up alternation E7 inversions and non E7 diminished voicings.
Example 173 shows walking down alternation E7 inversions and non E7 diminished voicings.
chapter 24.
Chapter 24
A Dominant Drop 2
Look at how to construct and practice A dominant chord scale in drop
2. The A dominant bebop scale is the notes A B C# D E F# G G# A. First thing is
Next, learn all the A7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 176.
Next, learn all the A7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 177.
Next, learn all the non A7 drop 2 diminished inversions ascending, shown in
example 178.
Next, learn all the non A7 drop 2 diminished inversions descending, shown in
example 179.
Example 180 shows walking up alternation A7 inversions and non A7 diminished voicings.
Example 181 shows walking down alternation A7 inversions and non A7 diminished voicings.
chapter 25.
Chapter 25
D Dominant Drop 2
The D dominant bebop scale is the notes D E F# G A B C C# D. First thing is
Next, learn all the E7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 184.
Next, learn all the D7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 185.
Next, learn all the non D7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
186.
Next, learn all the non D7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
187.
Example 188 shows walking up alternation D7 inversions and non D7 diminished voicings.
Example 189 shows walking down alternation D7 inversions and non D7 diminished voicings.
chapter 26.
Chapter 26
G Dominant Drop 2
Look at how to construct and practice G dominant chord scale in drop 2.
The A dominant bebop scale is the notes G A B C D E F F# G. First thing is learn
Next, learn all the G7 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 192.
Next, learn all the G7 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 193.
Next, learn all the non G7 drop 2 diminished inversions ascending, shown in
example 194.
Next, learn all the non G7 drop 2 diminished inversions descending, shown in
example 195.
Example 196 shows walking up alternation D7 inversions and non D7 diminished voicings.
Example 197 shows walking down alternation G7 inversions and non G7 diminished voicings.
When you can do all the exercises in this chapter comfortably, learn major/minor drop 2 starting in chapter 27.
Chapter 27
Constructing Minor/Major Drop 2 Chords
Up to now, weve seen how to construct drop 2 major and dominant
chords. With knowing one more chord, we will have enough chord knowledge at
our fingertips to play chord melodies on most tunes we will encounter. This is the
minor/major chord.
The minor/major chord is just what it sounds like, a chord with elements of
both minor and major. It is constructed using 1 b3 5 7. The flatted 3rd makes the
sound minor, but the 7th has a major type of sound. It is used as a tonic minor. This
sound didnt become commonplace in Jazz until the 1950s.
In major key tunes, the I chord can be a major seventh chord or a sixth chord.
In minor key tunes, the same thing happens. I is either a minor/major seventh (1 b3
5 7) or minor sixth (1 b3 5 6). Example 198 has chord voicings for C minor sixth
(Cm6) and C minor/major seventh (CmMaj7).
If you will recall, in chapter 1, we saw the C major bebop scale. This is
shown again here in example 1.
We then made our C major drop 2 voicings out of this scale by alternating C6
and G7b9 (G# diminished) chords. We see this again here in example 7.
There is a bebop scale that fits the minor/major chords and it is appropriately
called the bebop minor/major scale. The C minor/major bebop scale is shown in
example 199.
Notice it is the same as example 1, the C major bebop scale except the third
note of the scale is flatted. Compare and play example 199 with example 1.
C major bebop scale

C minor/major bebop scale
C D E F G G# A B C
C D Eb F G G# A B C
Just like the major drop 2 voicings, the drop 2 voicings for minor/major drop
2 chords alternate between I and Vb9 voicings. In this case the I chord will be Im6.
This is shown in example 200.
Start learning drop 2 minor/major voicings in all keys in chapter 28.
Chapter 28
C Minor/Major Drop 2
In chapter 27 we saw how to construct drop 2 major/minor chords. Here we
will look at how to practice these for C major/minor. First thing is learn the useable range of drop 2 voicings from as low as we can go up to the 12th fret on the E
string. Remember, the top notes of these chords are just the notes of the C major/
monor bebop scale. This is shown in example 201.
Next, learn all the Cm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 203.
Next, learn all the Cm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 204.
Next, learn all the non Cm6 (G7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in
example 205. Notice that these are exactly the same as example 11 from chapter 2.
Example 206 shows these same diminished drop 2 inversions descending.
Example 207 shows walking up alternation Cm6 inversions and G7b9 inversions.
Example 208 shows walking down alternation C6 inversions and G7b9 inversions.
chapter 29.
Chapter 29
F Minor/Major Drop 2
The F minor/major bebop scale has the notes F G Ab Bb C C# D E F. As
before, we will build the F minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is
Next, learn all the Fm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 211.
Next, learn all the Fm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 212.
Next, learn all the non Fm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
213. These are all C7b9 chords. You learned these in chapter 3, example 18.
Next, learn all the non C7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
214.
Example 215 shows walking up alternation Fm6 inversions and C7b9 inversions.
Example 216 shows walking down alternation Fm6 inversions and C7b9 inversions.
chapter 30.
Chapter 30
Bb Minor/Major Drop 2
The Bb monor/major bebop scale has the notes Bb C Db Eb F F# G A Bb. As
before, we will build the Bb minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing
Learn all the Bbm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 219.
Learn all the Bbm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 220.
Learn all the non Bbm6 (F7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 221.
Learn all the non Bbm6 (F7b9) drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 222.
Example 223 shows walking up alternating Bbm6 and F7b9 inversions.
Example 224 shows walking down alternation Bbm6 inversions and F7b9 inversions.
chapter 31.
Chapter 31
Eb Minor/Major Drop 2
The Eb minor/major bebop scale has the notes Eb F Gb Ab Bb B C D Eb. As
before, we will build the Eb minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing
Next, learn all the Ebm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 227.
Next, learn all the Ebm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
228.
Next, learn all the non Ebm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
229. These are all Bb7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the Bb7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
230.
Example 231 shows walking up alternation Ebm6 inversions and Bb7b9 inversions.
Example 232 shows walking down alternation Ebm6 inversions and Bb7b9
inversions.
chapter 32.
Chapter 32
Ab Minor/Major Drop 2
The Ab minor/major bebop scale has the notes Ab Bb Cb Db Eb E F G Ab.
As before, we will build the Ab minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First
Learn all the Abm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 235.
Learn all the Abm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 236.
Learn all the non Abm6 (Eb7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 237.
Example 238 shows walking up alternating Abm6 and Eb7b9 inversions.
Example 239 shows walking down alternation Abm6 inversions and Eb7b9
inversions.
chapter 33.
Chapter 33
Db Minor/Major Drop 2
The Db minor/major bebop scale has the notes Db Eb Fb Gb Ab A Bb C Db.
As before, we will build the Db minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First
Next, learn all the Dbm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 242.
Next, learn all the Dbm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
243.
Next, learn all the non Db6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
244. These are all Ab7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the Ab7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
245.
Example 246 shows walking up alternation Dbm6 inversions and Ab7b9 inversions.
Example 247 shows walking down alternation Dbm6 inversions and Ab7b9
inversions.
chapter 34.
Chapter 34
Gb Minor/Major Drop 2
The Gb minor/major bebop scale has the notes Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db D Eb E
F Gb. As before, we will build the Gb minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale.
Learn all the Gbm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 250.
Learn all the Gbm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 251.
Learn all the non Gbm6 (Db7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 252.
Learn all the non Gbm6 (Db7b9) drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 253.
Example 254 shows walking up alternating Gbm6 and Db7b9 inversions.
Example 255 shows walking down alternation Gbm6 inversions and Db7b9
inversions.
chapter 35.
Chapter 35
B Minor/Major Drop 2
The B minor/major bebop scale has the notes B C# D E F# G G# A# B. As
before, we will build the D minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is
Next, learn all the Bm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 258.
Next, learn all the Bbm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
259.
Next, learn all the non Bm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
260. These are all F#7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the F#7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example
261.
Example 262 shows walking up alternation Bm6 inversions and F#7b9 inversions.
Example 263 shows walking down alternation Bm6 inversions and F#7b9 inversions.
chapter 36.
Chapter XX
X Minor/Major Drop 2
The E minor/major bebop scale has the notes E F# G A B C C# D# E. As
before, we will build the E minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is
Learn all the Em6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 266.
Learn all the Em6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 267.
Learn all the non Em6 (B7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
268.
Learn all the non Em6 (B7b9) drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 269.
Example 270 shows walking up alternating Em6 and B7b9 inversions.
Example 271 shows walking down alternation Em6 inversions and B7b9 inversions.
chapter 37.
Chapter 37
A Minor/Major Drop 2
The A minor/major bebop scale has the notes A B C D E F F# G# A. As before, we will build the A minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is
Next, learn all the Am6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 274.
Next, learn all the Am6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 275.
Next, learn all the non Am6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
276. These are all E7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the E7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 277.
Example 278 shows walking up alternation Am6 inversions and E7b9 inversions.
Example 279 shows walking down alternation Am6 inversions and E7b9 inversions.
chapter 38.
Chapter 38
D Minor/Major Drop 2
The D minor/major bebop scale has the notes D E F G A Bb B C# D. As
before, we will build the D minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is
Learn all the Dm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 282.
Learn all the Dm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 283.
Learn all the non Dm6 (A7b9) drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
284.
Learn all the non Dm6 (A7b9) drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 285.
Example 286 shows walking up alternating Dm6 and A7b9 inversions.
Example 287 shows walking down alternation Dm6 inversions and A7b9 inversions.
chapter 39.
Chapter 39
G Minor/Major Drop 2
The G minor/major bebop scale has the notes G A Bb C D D# E F# G. As
before, we will build the G minor/major drop 2 chords from this scale. First thing is
Next, learn all the Gm6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 290.
Next, learn all the Gm6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 291.
Next, learn all the non GM6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example
292. These are all D7b9 chords.
Next, learn all the D7b9 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 293.
Example 294 shows walking up alternation Gm6 inversions and D7b9 inversions.
Example 295 shows walking down alternation Gm6 inversions and D7b9 inversions.
chapter 40.
Chapter 40
Diminished Drop 2
So far we have seen how to construct drop 2 major, dominant and minor/major
chords. Here we will look at how to construct diminished drop 2 chord voicings.
The diminished scale we will construct these voicings from is the whole/half diminished scale. The C whole/half diminished scale is shown in example 296.
The notes in the C diminished chord are every other note in this scale, the
notes C, Eb, Gb and A. Music theory tells us these are also the notes of the Eb
(D#), Gb (F#) and A diminished chords. Thus the C diminished scale is also the Eb
(D#), Gb (F#) and A diminished scale.
In reality, there are 3 whole/half diminished scales we need to learn, as each
scale is 4 different scales. We will do that here.
Example 297 shows the ascending drop 2 voicings for the C, Eb, Gb and A
diminished chords.
Example 298 shows the descending drop 2 voicings for the C, Eb, Gb and A
diminished chords.
Example 299 shows the ascending drop 2 voicings for the Db, E, G and Bb
diminished chords.
Example 300 shows the descending drop 2 voicings for the Db, E, G and Bb
diminished chords.
Example 301 shows the ascending drop 2 voicings for the D, F, Ab and B diminished chords.
Example 302 shows the descending drop 2 voicings for the D, F, Ab and B
diminished chords.
chapter 41.
Chapter 41
MinorSeventh and Half Diminished Drop 2
The most common chord types we run across in 50s era Jazz is major (major
seventh and sixth chords), minor seventh, dominant seventh, diminished, minor/
major (minor/major seventh and minor sixth) and half diminished (minor seventh
with a flatted fifth). So far we have seen how to construct drop 2 major, dominant,
diminished and minor/major chords. Lets now look at minor seventh and half diminished.
Though you might not know it, you have already learned these voicings. Take
the Am7 chord. Music theory tells us it is constructed from the notes A C E G. If
we look at the C6 chord, music theory tells us it contains the notes C E G A. Notice, the notes are the same.
Am7 = A C E G
C6 = C E G A
A sixth chord and a minor seventh a step and a half lower (3 frets) are the
same chord. C6 = Am7. Since you have already learned your sixth chords in drop
2, all we have to do is play the same thing and rename them to the correct minor
seventh name and they will work for drop 2 minor seventh.
Compare example 7 from chapter 2 and example 303 here.
Notice how they are the same? The only thing that changes are the names.
All C6 chords become Am7. Below are the chapters to study for the appropriate minor seventh drop 2 chord voicings.
Am7 = C6 Chapter 2
Bbm7 = Db6 Chapter 7
Bm7 = D6 Chapter12
Cm7 = Eb6 Chapter 5
Dbm7 = E6 Chapter 10
Dm7 = F6 Chapter 3
Ebm7 = Gb6 Chapter 8
Em7 = G6 Chapter 13
Fm7 = Ab6 Chapter 6
Gbm7 = A6 Chapter 11
Gm7 = Bb6 Chapter 3
Abm7 = B6 Chapter 9
Music theory tells us the notes in a Cm6 chord are C Eb G A. Music theory
tells us the notes in an Am7b5 chord are A C Eb G. Notice, again, they are the
same.
Cm6 = C Eb G A
Am7b5 =A C Eb G
Remember half diminished and minor seventh flat five are two names for
the same chord. We have learned the m6 drop 2. We just need to rename them to
get the half diminished drop 2.
Am7b5 = Cm6 Chapter 28

Bbm7b5 = Dbm6 Chapter 33
Bm7b5 = Dm6 Chapter 38
Cm7b5 = Ebm6 Chapter 31
Dbm7b5 = Em6 Chapter 36
Dm7b5 = Fm6 Chapter 29
Ebm7b5 = Gbm6 Chapter 34
Em7b5 = Gm6 Chapter 39
Fm7b6 = Abm6 Chapter 32
Gbm7b5 = Am6 Chapter 37
Gm7b5 = Bbm6 Chapter 30
Abm7b5 = Bm6 Chapter 38
My suggestion is go back and do all these exercises, naming chords both
ways. When these are comfortable, move on to the second book in this series,
Chord Melody For Mandolin.
Chapter 42
Introduction to Chord Melody
Chord melody involves playing melody and the chord at the same time. The
melody is top note of chord which makes it easy to hear among the other notes.
The lower notes are usually the notes of the harmony of the tune at that point in the
song. Look at example 304.
In example 304, we have a melody note of C against an F major chord. We

place the C note at the top of the chord, placing the other notes of the F major chord
(F and A) underneath. By playing it this way, we hear the C note clearly as the
melody and the other notes as the harmony.
In examples 305 and 306, we do the same with a small portion of the folk song
Little Brown Jug. First the melody and backup chords, example 305.
Now chord melody, example 306. Notice how this seems to fill out the tune.
Lets take the same part of Little Brown Jug and imagine it as a Jazz tune.
The Glen Miller Band had one of its biggest hits in 1939 with this tune, so listen to
that if needed. Example 307 has the melody with a Jazz chord progression.
Example 308 shows this as a chord melody with drop 2 voicings. All that was
done was take the current melody note and use the drop 2 voicing with that note and
the chord in the piece at the time of that melody note.
Example 309 shows this as a chord melody with drop 2 voicings with some
substitution chord movement common in Jazz tunes.
Starting in chapter 43, we will look at chord progressions from common Jazz
tunes and make chord melody arrangements.
Chapter 43
How to Construct Chord Melody
Lets get right to constructing chord melody. To make a chord melody arrangement:
1) Determine what notes you want to play individually and what notes in
chord melody.
2) Determine what chords the accompaniment is playing at the point you want
chord melody.
3) Use the appropriate drop 2 voicing for that note and that chord. If needed
consult the earlier chapters of this book.
First, determine what notes you want to play individually and what notes in
chord melody. For example, say we have the following melody and chords, example 310.
Assume we want to play chord melody on the first melody note, which is the
note A, the fifth fret of the E string. The chord at that point of the tune is F7. In
chapter 16, page 76 of the book Drop 2 Chords for Mandolin, we learned the F7
drop 2 voicings. If we find the one that works with this A note on top, it has Eb and
F underneath. This is shown in example 311.
Go back to example 310. Lets play chord melody on all the half notes and
just the melody alone on the quarter notes. Find the drop 2 voicings as we did
above for example 311. The results are shown in example 312.
If we have chord melody on all melody notes, the results are shown in example 313.
To make a chord melody arrangement:

Determine what notes you want to play individually and what notes
in chord melody.
Determine what chords the accompaniment is playing at the point
you want chord melody.
Use the appropriate drop 2 voicing for that note and that chord. If
needed consult the earlier chapters of this book.
Chapter 44
IIm7 V7 I Major
Mack the Knife Chord Progression
The most common chord block we see in Jazz tunes is IIm7 V7 I Major.
Since we will see this so much, lets look at some chord melody examples using this
progression (it doesnt matter if the I chord is major seventh or sixth, we still use
the drop 2 major chord voicings).
Below is the progression to the common tune Mack the Knife. This has been a
standard tune for Jazz vocalists. Here is by Louis Armstrong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-lHrDPjGfQ
and Bobby Darrin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiGFZUnJgqU
In its simplest form, Mack the Knife can be thought of as just I Maj and V7.
This chord progression is example 314.
Lets come up with a melody for this that we can turn into chord melody (as
an exercise for the student, it would be good to use the melody of the song but I
cant print one here due to copyright restrictions). Here is a simple melody for the
first half of this chord progression, exercise 315.
Now using drop 2 voicings for G major and D dominant seventh, this is turned
into chord melody in example 316.
Listen to the MIDI file of example 316 if you have trouble working through it.
Chapter 45
Honeysuckle Rose Chord Progression
The next chord progression has IIm7 V7 and I Major. It is the progression
to the common song Honeysuckle Rose and the less common Charlie Parker tune
Marmaduke. The progression is shown in example 317.
We can treat the IIm7 (here Gm7) V7 (here C7) in a number of ways.
1)
2)
3)
Treat both IIm7 and V7 as they are written

Treat both chords as IIm7
Treat both chords as V7
Since the IIm7 is a common substitute for V7, 1, 2 and 3 above all work fine.
Lets do all three in the first line of Honeysuckle Rose, example 318.
Listen to the MIDI file of example 318. The first measure of example 318 is
Gm7 drop 2 voicings (remember that Gm7 and Bb6 are the same notes, so we use
those Bb6 voicings). The second measure is C7 drop 2 voicings. The third and
fourth measures are combination of Gm7 and C7, ending with F Major a beat
ahead of when F6 comes in the tune. The chords written above the music and tab
are the voicings I used, not the chords of the tune. See example 317 for the chords
in the tune.
The B part of Honeysuckle Rose is the progression F7, Bb6, G7 and C7, example 319.
An entire chord melody solo for Honeysuckle Rose is in example 320.
Chapter 46
Lady Be Good Chord Progression
The next chord progression is the same as the Gershwin song Lady Be Good.
This piece is very common among string Jazz players. The progression is shown in
example 321. The chords in parenthesis are common substitution chords.
We have not seen diminished chords yet, so lets look at where the C# diminished chord comes in part B. We will use the whole/half diminished scale in drop 2
voicing as mentioned in chapter 40. This is shown in example 322.
Once again we make up a melody and use the drop 2 voicing that fits the
chord progression of the song. I do this with most of this arrangement. There are
a couple of places I used substitution chords, see if you can find those places. The
arrangement is shown in example 323.
Chapter 47
There Will Never Be Another You
Chord Progression
There Will Never Be Another You is a standard Jazz piece in the key of Eb
with lots of chord changes. It will be an excellent vehicle for studying chord melody.
The chord progression is shown in example 324.
Example 325 is a melody that will work for the first line of this chord progression. The Dm7b5 is the same as the Fm6. Drop 2 voicings for F minor/major
chords (Fm6 and Dm7b5) were covered in chapter 29. Notice the chromatic movement into Dm7b5 plus the beat anticipation of Dm7b5 and G7.
The next line is two measures of Cm7, followed by Bbm7 and Eb7. In the
measure with Bbm7, I am using an Eb13 chord with the thirteenth (the note C) on
top. While not drop, this is a colorful chord voicing places the Db (b7th) and G
(3rd) underneath. The next measure follows with Eb7 drop 2 voicings. See this in
example 326.
The complete arrangement of the tune is shown in example 327. Work slowly
through the whole thing.
Chapter 48
Minor II V I
Softly As In A Morning Sunrise Chord Progression
II V I progressions are common in both major and minor keys. We looked at

major II V I chapter 45 with Honeysuckle Rose. Here we will look at minor II V I
using the chord progression to the tune Softly As In A Morning Sunrise.
I have heard many variations on the chord progression to this tune. I will keep
it very straight, using a lot of minor II V I. The chord progression is shown in example 328.
This tune is in the key of Cm. The I minor chord is usually a minor/major, a
minor sixth or a minor major seventh. I have used Cm6. Feel free to use CmMaj7
or even Cm7 as all of these get used as tonic minor chords.
The II chord in a minor key is a half diminished, or a minor seventh with a
flatted fifth. Here, we use a Dm7b5. The V chord is often a dominant with a flatted
ninth, but and dominant seventh works and you will often hear altered dominants.
The first A part of the tune with a melody line in chord melody is shown in
example 329.
The entire solo is in example 330. Notice the extended (measures #19 and 20)
diminished chord in the B part.
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Wes Montgomerys Solo on Gone With The Wind
Wes Montgomery is one of the big names in Jazz history and a legend among
Jazz guitar players. His flowing, melodic lines in single notes, octaves and chord
melody set a very high standard that Jazz soloists still seek to achieve. His solo on
Gone With The Wind is one of the best improvised solos in Jazz history. See it here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ur7F_ZRHDA
Wes plays the melody (left out of this transcription for copyright reasons),
then one chorus of single note, two choruses of octaves and two wonderful choruses
of chord melody. All together nearly 6 1/2 minutes of well conceived and executed
melodic playing we can all strive for. Learn this and enjoy!
Appendix 1
Chord Spellings
Chord Type
Symbol
Spelling
Major
Minor
Sixth
Major Seventh
Dominant Seventh
Minor Seventh
Diminished
Half Diminished
Minor Seventh Flat Fifth
Minor Sixth
Minor Major Seventh
Suspended
Augmented
X
Xm
X6
XMaj7
X7
Xm7
Xdim X
X Xm7b5
X Xm7b5
Xm6
XMaj7
Xsus
X+ X#5 X+5
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3 5
b3 5
3 5 6
3 5 7
3 5 b7
b3 5 b7
b3 b5 bb7 (6)
b3 b5 b7
b3 b5 b7
b3 5 6
b3 5 7
4 5
3 #5
Chord Extensions (9, 11, 13)

Ninth
Eleventh
Thirteenth
Minor Ninth
Minor Eleventh
Minor Thirteenth
Major Ninth
Major Eleventh
Major Thirteenth
X9
1 3 5 b7 9
X11
1 3 5 b7 9 11
X13
1 3 5 b7 9 (11) 13
Xm9
1 b3 5 b7 9
Xm11
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
Xm13
1 b3 5 b7 9 (11) 13
XMaj9
1 3 5 7 9
XMaj11
1 3 5 7 9 11
XMaj13
1 3 5 7 9 (11) 13
These are just some, any chord can be extended
Chord Alterations (5, 9, 11, 13)

Sharp Nine
Flat Nine
Sharp Eleventh
Sharp Thirteenth
Major Seven Flat Five
X#9
1 3 5 b7 #9
X(b9)
1 3 5 b7 b9
X#11
1 3 5 b7 9 #11
X#13
1 3 5 b7 9 (11) #13
XMaj7b5
1 3 b5 7
These are just some, any chord can be altered
The 5 main chord types are:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Major
Minor
Dominant Seventh
Diminished
Half Diminished
MAJOR:
Major, Sixth, Major Seventh, Major Ninth, Major Eleventh, Major Thirteenth,
any of these with suspended or augmented, sharp eleven (flat five)
MINOR: Minor, Minor Seventh, Minor Sixth, Minor Major Seventh, any of these with
suspended or augmented (rare)
DOMINANT SEVENTH: Dominant Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, Thirteenth, any of

these with suspended or augmented (common)
DIMINISHED: Diminished, Diminished Seventh

HALF DIMINISHED:
Minor Seventh Flat Fifth
Any Major, Minor, or Dominant Seventh chord can have alterations, but these are most
common on the Dominant Seventh. These alterations are b5 and #5, b9 and #9, #11, b13 and
#13.
Appendix 2
Mandolin Note Names
Fret
String Name
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
B
C
C#/Db
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
B
C
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
B
C
C#/Db
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
A#/Bb
B
C
C#/Db
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
B
C
C#/Db
D
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
B
C
C#/Db
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
Appendix 3
Two Octave Major Scales
Two Octave Major Scale
One Octave
Two Octaves
Key of C
Key of F
1
1
C
F
2
2
D
G
3 4 5 6 7 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
E F G A B C D
A Bb C D E F G
3 4
10 11
E F
A Bb
5
12
G
C
6
13
A
D
7
14
B
E
1
15
C
F
Two Octaves 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Key of Bb
Bb C D Eb F G A Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
Key of Eb
Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
Two Octaves 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Key of Ab
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
Key of Db
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
Two Octaves 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Key of Gb
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
Key of B
B C# D# E F# G# A# B C# D# E F# G# A# B
Two Octaves 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Key of E
E F# G# A B C# D# E F# G# A B C# D# E
Key of A
A B C# D E F# G# A B C# D E F# G# A
Two Octaves 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Key of D
D E F# G A B C# D E F# G A B C# D
Key of G
G A B C D E F# G A B C D E F# G
Appendix 4
Blank Fingerboard Chart
Appendix 5
Books by Pete Martin
Available in book form at Amazon.com
or as free PDF download at www.petimarpress.com
Easy Music Theory For Fiddle and Mandolin
A good introduction for players who know no theory but want to learn. Music and tab.
Mandolin and Fiddle Improvisation Using the Chord Tone Scale
Looks at developing ideas for improvising in a non Jazz setting (Bluegrass, Fiddle tunes,
etc.), Music and tab.
Bluegrass Mandolin: Creating and Using Double Stops
How to get get double stops into your Bluegrass playing.
Oldtime Tunes for Fiddle and Mandolin, Volume 1
50 common fiddle tunes. Music and tab.
Oldtime Tunes for Fiddle and Mandolin, Volume 2
50 less common fiddle tunes. Music and tab.
Texas Style Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin
Tunes from this great fiddlin style arranged for mandolin players. Music and tab.
Bebob Mandolin: Target Notes and Chromatic Approaches
Explains Target and Approach notes and how to get this fundamental Bebop sound into
your improvising. Music and tab.
Bebop Scales for Mandolin and Violin
Learn and practice the scales commonly used bu Jazz players in thre Bebop era.
Jazz Chording for Mandolin
A comprehensive look at chords for Jazz (Swing, Bebop, Post Bebop) Mandolin
Chord Melody for Mandolin
Learn how to arrange melodys and improvise chord solos in Jazz. Designed to go with the
book Drop 2 Chords for Mandolin
Drop 2 chords for Mandolin
Learn the chord voicings used most often by Jazz pianists and guitarists when the creat
chord melodies. Designed to go with the book Chord Melody for Mandolin
Texas Style Fiddle Transcriptions, Volume 1
21 note for note versions as played by top Texas style fiddlers. Music notation only.
Texas Style Fiddle Transcriptions, Volume 2
18 more note for note versions as played by top Texas style fiddlers. Music notation only.
Benny Thomasson Fiddle Transcriptions
16 tunes as played by the legendary Texas fiddler. Music notation only.

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Chord Melody

2015 by Pete Martin

Section 1: Major Drop 2

C Major Drop 2 .............................................................................9

Section 2: Dominant Drop 2

Constructing Dominant Seventh Drop 2 Chords........................... 69

Section 3: Minor/Major Drop 2

F Minor/Major Drop 2 ...............................................................................140

Section 4: Other Drop 2 Chords

Section 5: Chord Melody

Introduction to Chord Melody .................................................................. 206

Section 6: Two Wes Montgomery Solos

In case you didnt read the introduction, the

We will look at all the keys starting in chapter 2.

Next, learn all the C6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 9.

Example 11 contains 3 string diminished chords. We can think of them as F,

Example 13 shows walking down alternation C6 inversions and G7b9 inversions.

Example 20 shows walking up alternation F6 inversions and C7b9 inversions.

Example 21 shows walking down alternation F6 inversions and C7b9 inversions.

Example 27 shows walking up alternating Bb6 and F7b9 inversions.

Example 35 shows walking up alternation Eb6 inversions and Bb7b9 inversions.

Example 42 shows walking up alternating Ab6 and Eb7b9 inversions.

Example 50 shows walking up alternation Db6 inversions and Ab7b9 inversions.

Example 51 shows walking down alternation Db inversions and Ab7b9 inversions.

Example 57 shows walking up alternating Gb6 and Db7b9 inversions.

Example 65 shows walking up alternation B6 inversions and F#7b9 inversions.

Example 66 shows walking down alternation B inversions and F#7b9 inversions.

Learn all the E6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 69.

Learn all the E6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 70.

Example 72 shows walking up alternating E6 and B7b9 inversions.

Example 73 shows walking down alternation E6 inversions and B7b9 inversions.

Example 80 shows walking up alternation A6 inversions and E7b9 inversions.

Example 81 shows walking down alternation A inversions and E7b9 inversions.

Learn all the D6 drop 2 inversions ascending, shown in example 84.

Learn all the D6 drop 2 inversions descending, shown in example 85.

Example 88 shows walking up alternating D6 and A7b9 inversions.

Example 89 shows walking down alternation D6 inversions and A7b9 inversions.

Example 96 shows walking up alternation G6 inversions and D7b9 inversions.

Example 97 shows walking down alternation A inversions and E7b9 inversions.

We start out study of these voicings in all keys in chapter 15.

C major bebop scale

Start learning drop 2 minor/major voicings in all keys in chapter 28.

Example 206 shows these same diminished drop 2 inversions descending.

Example 223 shows walking up alternating Bbm6 and F7b9 inversions.

Example 238 shows walking up alternating Abm6 and Eb7b9 inversions.

Example 254 shows walking up alternating Gbm6 and Db7b9 inversions.

Example 270 shows walking up alternating Em6 and B7b9 inversions.

Example 286 shows walking up alternating Dm6 and A7b9 inversions.

Compare example 7 from chapter 2 and example 303 here.

Am7b5 = Cm6 Chapter 28

In example 304, we have a melody note of C against an F major chord. We

To make a chord melody arrangement:

Treat both IIm7 and V7 as they are written

An entire chord melody solo for Honeysuckle Rose is in example 320.

The chord progression is shown in example 324.

II V I progressions are common in both major and minor keys. We looked at

Chord Extensions (9, 11, 13)

Chord Alterations (5, 9, 11, 13)

The 5 main chord types are:

DOMINANT SEVENTH: Dominant Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, Thirteenth, any of

DIMINISHED: Diminished, Diminished Seventh

Minor Seventh Flat Fifth

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