Learn with Chris Parks · Volume X of XIII

10Guitar voicings for the scales of chords

Drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2 and 4, Thomas Eccles’ elevator of textures, the smaller shapes inside a drop 2, and finding the closest voicing.

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Map of this module what each idea builds on

Ideas in this module 10

1Drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2 and 4
2Playing the scale of chords
3The elevator: Thomas Eccles’ floors
4The intervals inside a drop 2
5Broken drop 2
6Two notes of the diminished
7Triads in the sixth diminished scale
8Least movement: find the closest voicing
9Three to six from the fifth
10The release-note chord exercise

Idea 1 of 10

Drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2 and 4

Number the voices of a close chord from the top, as in a choir, and drop one or two of them an octave. On guitar, drop 2 sits on four adjacent strings, drop 3 is one string, a skipped string, then three, and drop 2 and 4 is two strings, a skip, then two; Barry named a voicing by the dropped note, which becomes the bass (‘D is the drop 2’). Every chord of every scale of chords should be known in all three, in every inversion and on every string set, though Chris warns that guitarists lean too hard on drop 2s.

Practise it: Learn each scale of chords in drop 2 on all three string sets (E-A-D-G, A-D-G-B, D-G-B-E), with each chord tone on top, then in drop 3 from the sixth and fifth strings and in drop 2 and 4.

Dm6

Gm6

Bbm6

More on this 47 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Drop 2, drop 3, drop 2 and 4, Drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2-and-4, Drop 2, Drop 3, Drop 2, drop 4, drop twos, choir numbering, drop threes, ‘D as the drop 2’, four consecutive strings

Where Chris teaches it

0:00Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
Drop 2 is four consecutive strings, closed voice.
1:17Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
D minor 6 from the fifth on strings 6-3.
1:59Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
D minor 6 with the root in the bass, middle strings.
2:37Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
D minor 6 on the top four strings.
3:17Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
G minor 6 from the root on strings 6-3.
3:55Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
G minor 6 on the middle strings.
5:19Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
B flat minor 6 starting on G (G minor 7 flat 5).
5:53Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
B flat minor 6 with the root in the bass.
0:32Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
D minor 6 from the fifth, sixth-string bass.
1:12Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
The diminished after it.
2:53Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
G minor 6 with the root in the bass.
4:22Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
B flat minor 6 with the 6 in the bass.
5:49Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
D minor 6 with the fifth in the bass.
7:02Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
D minor 6 with the root in the bass.
8:18Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
G minor 6 with the root in the bass.
9:38Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
B flat minor 6 with the 6 in the bass.
2:58Comping for A Night in Tunisia · Episode 19
E flat 7 from the fifth on strings 6-3, for Night in Tunisia.
1:21Comping Ideas with 6th Diminished · Episode 30
F minor 7 (A flat 6) on the middle strings.
10:41Practising and making lines with the E minor 6th diminished scale · Episode 39
E minor 6 drop 2: E, B, C sharp, G.
1:53Practicing the G Minor 6th Diminished Scale · Episode 45
G minor 6 diminished drop 2s from each degree on the sixth string.
2:28Endless ways to play I-VI-II-V with the scale of chords · Episode 46
Drop 2s up the G6 diminished scale over I-VI-II-V.
1:14Endless ways to play a minor I-VI-II-V with the scale of chords · Episode 47
Drop 2 is four consecutive strings, drop 3 is play a string, skip one, play three, drop 2 and 4 is two, skip one, two.
1:47Using the scale of chords to make a chord melody · Episode 55
Prerequisite for chord melody: D minor 6 in drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2 and 4.
0:44Lines Using Drop 2 on Rhythm Changes · Episode 68
B flat 6 by voices: B flat bass 4, D tenor 3, F alto 2, G soprano 1.
1:20Lines Using Drop 2 on Rhythm Changes · Episode 68
Drop the alto F an octave: G, D, B flat, F from the top.
2:32Lines Using Drop 2 on Rhythm Changes · Episode 68
Do the same for F7 and every inversion.
3:56Lines Using Drop 2 on Rhythm Changes · Episode 68
Using drop 2 shapes as single-note lines over rhythm changes at 170, then 160.
9:25Lines Using Drop 2 on Rhythm Changes · Episode 68
Guitarists see these faster than horn players, since they already play these chords.
2:19Half step below is beautiful: scales and sixth chords · Episode 72
C6 drop 2.
9:12Half step below is beautiful: scales and sixth chords · Episode 72
C6 drop 3.
3:36A Minor 7 Is Beautiful · Episode 82
Drop 2 is four consecutive strings; drop 3 is a string, skip one, three strings
4:12A Minor 7 Is Beautiful · Episode 82
Drop 2-and-4 is two strings, skip a string, two strings
1:54A Minor 7 Flat 5 Is Beautiful · Episode 86
Know C minor 6 in drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2-and-4
7:22C Minor 6th Diminished (with Thomas Echols’s Floors) · Episode 98
Guitarists can’t be drop 2 people all the time
1:45Drop 2s are more than you think · Episode 111
Know the drop 2s on every string set: sixth-, fifth- and fourth-string roots
1:05Why do we all play this? Comping on I Got Rhythm · Episode 121
The common B-flat major 7 grip in I Got Rhythm is a drop 3: sixth string, skip a string, three strings.
13:17Why do we all play this? Comping on I Got Rhythm · Episode 121
Every I Got Rhythm inversion shown in drop 2 could also be done in drop 3.
0:00Drop 2 with a pretty twist · Episode 136
Drop 2 is four consecutive strings; Barry called whatever was in the bass ‘the drop 2’.
0:36Drop 2 with a pretty twist · Episode 136
Drop 3: string, skip, three strings; drop 2 and 4: two strings, skip, two strings.
1:07Reasons to practise major 6th to major 6th chords · Episode 140
Know drop 2s on all three string sets: E A D G, A D G B and D G B E.
8:12Barry’s beautiful borrowing · Episode 145
The borrowed E-flat major 7 as a drop 3 and a drop 2 and 4, resolving back to G minor 6.
1:26The scale we never talk about: dominant 7 diminished · Episode 148
C7 diminished in drop 2s on four consecutive strings, on every string set
3:53The scale we never talk about: dominant 7 diminished · Episode 148
Drop 3s: play a note, skip a string, play three notes; know them on fifth- and sixth-string roots
4:31The scale we never talk about: dominant 7 diminished · Episode 148
Drop 2 and 4: two notes, skip a string, two notes
2:16Must-know minor ii-V’s in drop 2 · Episode 159
Every inversion of E minor 7 flat 5 / G minor 6 in drop 2, each chord tone on top, on the low, middle and high four strings
2:46No more comping 4’s: small moves with sixth chords · Episode 167
Ab6 inversions in drop 2 with sixth-, fifth- and fourth-string roots
3:14G minor 6 diminished: drop 2s with single notes and thirds · Episode 168
Drop 2 for guitarists and for pianists; Barry called a voicing by its drop-2 note (D, E, Bb or G as the drop 2)

Idea 2 of 10

Playing the scale of chords

Playing block chords up and down a sixth-diminished scale, so every scale note carries either a 6-chord inversion or the diminished. Moving through it creates movement inside one chord, which is the whole point. Knowing the scale in thirds, sixths, octaves and tenths as well lets you use the same notes in smaller shapes.

Practise it: Play the scale of chords up and down on each string set; then play the same scale in two-note thirds, sixths, octaves and tenths.

More on this 5 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called chords up and down the scale, 6 and diminished alternating

Where Chris teaches it

3:34Barry’s four scales of chords · Episode 6
The four scales of chords played as chords in G.
6:55Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
The point is not ‘it’s just five to one’; the chords create movements within the changes.
7:17Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
For D minor 6: chords up and down, thirds, sixths, octaves, tenths.
12:47Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
Know them as chords, and as thirds, sixths, octaves, tenths and ninths.
11:20Comping for A Night in Tunisia · Episode 19
Limitless even before using sixths, tenths or drop 3.

Idea 3 of 10

The elevator: Thomas Eccles’ floors

A guitar system from Thomas Eccles (Labyrinth of Limitations) for harmonising any note of a scale of chords at different thicknesses, called floors: single notes, thirds, triads, shells (broken drop 2), octave chords, then drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2 and 4. It matches what Barry asked pianists to do when he said ‘fill it in’, and knowing every floor from any starting note lets you change texture or open into contrary motion musically instead of playing only drop 2s, like pianists who move small thirds and single notes around. It also shows you exactly where you are lost.

Practise it: Take baby steps: on one scale of chords play single notes, then thirds, then triads from any starting note, and use each floor on a short spot of a tune. Then harmonise one melody note on every floor and move between floors.

More on this 23 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called The elevator, Thomas’s elevator floors, Floors, Thomas Eccles’ elevator, fill it in, elevator system, Thomas Eccles’ floors, single notes, thirds, triads

Where Chris teaches it

7:06Don’t Think C9 · Episode 81
All the ways to practise G minor 6: thirds, triads, broken drop 2, octaves, drop 2, drop 3, drop 2-and-4
2:41A Minor 7 Flat 5 Is Beautiful · Episode 86
C minor 6 in thirds, triads, octave chords and broken drop 2 chords
0:37C Minor 6th Diminished (with Thomas Echols’s Floors) · Episode 98
Thomas Eccles’ idea of breaking the scales of chords into floors
1:49C Minor 6th Diminished (with Thomas Echols’s Floors) · Episode 98
C minor 6 diminished as single notes, thirds (second floor) and triads (third floor)
3:43C Minor 6th Diminished (with Thomas Echols’s Floors) · Episode 98
All the Things You Are, the C minor spot: single notes, thirds, then triads
6:05C Minor 6th Diminished (with Thomas Echols’s Floors) · Episode 98
Contrary motion that climbs through the floors: single notes, thirds, triads
7:59C Minor 6th Diminished (with Thomas Echols’s Floors) · Episode 98
Can you start on any note and go up thirds or triads?
10:33C Minor 6th Diminished (with Thomas Echols’s Floors) · Episode 98
Nine floors altogether; drop 2, drop 3 and drop 2-and-4 among them
2:22Finding Your Own Voice (Darn That Dream) · Episode 103
Know G6 diminished in thirds, triads and drops: ‘all the elevator, as Thomas would say’
1:22What can I do from the 3rd? · Episode 114
Thomas’s elevator: single notes, thirds, triads, shell (broken drop 2), octave chord, drop 2, drop 3, drop 2 and 4.
2:27What can I do from the 3rd? · Episode 114
Every C6 diminished scale tone below E harmonised on each floor with E on top.
3:42What can I do from the 3rd? · Episode 114
Two bars of C major in All the Things You Are, played in parallel thirds, then triads, broken drop 2s and octave chords.
3:04Do you know your minor 6th diminished scale? · Episode 123
Barry in piano class said ‘fill it in’: one note, third, triad, then octave chord.
3:15The Barry Harris scale no one plays: 7 flat 5 diminished · Episode 127
The dominant 7 flat 5 diminished scale on the single-note, thirds and triads floors.
1:10Half step below is beautiful: C minor 6 diminished · Episode 134
The half step below applied on each floor of the elevator.
8:04A beautiful way to play a minor blues · Episode 139
All the elevator floors work over each minor 6 of the minor blues.
1:26The scale we never talk about: dominant 7 diminished · Episode 148
C7 diminished on each floor: single notes, then thirds
3:16The scale we never talk about: dominant 7 diminished · Episode 148
Triads, then shell voicings (Chris calls them broken drop 2s), then octave chords
3:56First step to understanding Barry’s scales of chords · Episode 164
For any major 7: can you play its scale in thirds, triads, the elevator floors, contrary, oblique, borrowed?
4:31G minor 6 diminished: drop 2s with single notes and thirds · Episode 168
Seeing the single-note scale around a drop 2 shape: the first floor
5:46G minor 6 diminished: drop 2s with single notes and thirds · Episode 168
Drop 2 then down three notes from the top note; up three notes; then landing in the drop 2 with that note on top
9:08G minor 6 diminished: drop 2s with single notes and thirds · Episode 168
Thirds as the next floor; splitting one line contrary gives thirds
11:05G minor 6 diminished: drop 2s with single notes and thirds · Episode 168
Pianists use closed voicings and little thirds, not drop 2s everywhere

Idea 4 of 10

The intervals inside a drop 2

Every drop 2 holds smaller intervals: its outer notes make a tenth, there are sixths and fifths, and its two middle notes are usually a third of the scale, or a second at the spot where the eight-note scale’s third is a second (Barry might call it a diminished third). Playing a scale of chords in these two-note intervals (thirds, sixths, tenths, fifths, octaves) gives lighter sounds than full chords, and seeing them inside shapes you already know means there are no new shapes to learn.

Practise it: Play the full drop 2, then just two of its notes (the middle pair, the outer tenth, the sixths, the fifths) moving up the scale, using the drop 2 as your map.

Line

More on this 17 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Looking deeper into your drop 2s, Drop 2s are more than you think, Scale of chords in thirds, sixths and tenths, tenths, sixths and fifths inside the drop 2, drop 2 then the third below, intervals inside the drop 2

Where Chris teaches it

3:53The Whole Tone Scale · Episode 44
The whole-tone scale in flat fifths, minor sixths, flat sevenths and tenths.
3:07Endless ways to play I-VI-II-V with the scale of chords · Episode 46
G6 diminished in thirds; the weird one is the second.
3:49Endless ways to play I-VI-II-V with the scale of chords · Episode 46
In sixths.
5:23Endless ways to play I-VI-II-V with the scale of chords · Episode 46
In tenths.
1:49Endless ways to play a minor I-VI-II-V with the scale of chords · Episode 47
G minor 6 diminished in thirds, sixths and tenths.
2:23Using the scale of chords to make a chord melody · Episode 55
D minor 6 diminished in thirds, sixths, octaves and tenths, for chord melody.
2:19Half step below is beautiful: scales and sixth chords · Episode 72
Inside the C6 drop 2 (C G A E): two sixths, a tenth, a second-as-third and two fifths.
3:26Half step below is beautiful: scales and sixth chords · Episode 72
Practising it in fifths from the lower or upper pair of the drop 2.
2:23Drop 2s are more than you think · Episode 111
Inside a C minor 6 drop 2: C to A and Eb to G are sixths; C to G and Eb to A are fifths
3:38Drop 2s are more than you think · Episode 111
The middle two notes on the D and G strings are a third of the scale, even when they look like a second
5:06Drop 2s are more than you think · Episode 111
Drop 2, repeat the D-string note, then go to the third below: minor 6 to diminished, diminished to minor 6
7:40Drop 2s are more than you think · Episode 111
Used going to C minor from D half diminished
1:13Every guitar player should know this: inside the drop 2 · Episode 119
In the C minor 6 drop 2, C and E-flat (outer notes) are a tenth; C to A and G to E-flat are sixths.
1:50Every guitar player should know this: inside the drop 2 · Episode 119
Fifths, flat fifths and fourths are there too; the middle pair is a second, which Barry might call a diminished third.
2:31Every guitar player should know this: inside the drop 2 · Episode 119
Exercise: play the chord, then move two notes (the thirds) up the scale.
6:20Every guitar player should know this: inside the drop 2 · Episode 119
The same intervals inside the C major 6 diminished drop 2s, used in All the Things You Are.
9:36Every guitar player should know this: inside the drop 2 · Episode 119
Thomas Eccles sees each interval on its own; Chris uses the drop 2 as his guide.

Idea 5 of 10

Broken drop 2

A three-note voicing made from the top three or bottom three notes of a drop 2. Thomas Eccles calls it a shell voicing (and sometimes a broken octave). Chris finds these small shapes often sound better than a full chord, and Barry’s ‘short’ always lands on one.

Practise it: Take the drop 2s of a scale of chords and drop the bass note (or the top note) of each. Then move just the one note that changes in a progression, such as F6 to F7.

More on this 5 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called shell voicing, broken octave

Where Chris teaches it

1:47What can I do from the 3rd? · Episode 114
Shell voicings, which Chris calls broken drop 2, as the fourth floor of the elevator.
9:13Half step below is beautiful: C minor 6 diminished · Episode 134
Broken drop 2 from the A string with a half step below the top, bottom, middle or all three notes.
10:33Think small, not big: F6, F7, B flat 6, B diminished · Episode 135
Instead of big chords, F6 to F7 as a shell voicing with F on top, moving only one note.
5:10Chord melodies from Barry’s scales of chords · Episode 138
E-flat 6 broken drop 2 on the A, D and G strings harmonising the melody; three notes is enough.
1:47What is short? · Episode 141
For ‘short’, know the top three notes of every C minor 6 diminished drop 2, leaving out the bass.

Idea 6 of 10

Two notes of the diminished

A Barry piano exercise that Chris adapts for guitar. Play the sixth chord as a full drop 2, but play only the lowest and highest notes of each diminished drop 2, which make a tenth. Reverse it by playing the diminished in full and only two notes of the sixth chord. It lightens the scale of chords and gives a pretty, open sound.

Practise it: Go up and down the scale with full sixth chords and two-note diminished, then reverse. On guitar Chris plucks the two notes with the pick and his third finger.

More on this 5 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called sixth chord full, diminished as a tenth

Where Chris teaches it

2:22Drop 2 with a pretty twist · Episode 136
Barry had piano players play the D diminished drop 2 as just its lowest and highest notes, on the A and B strings.
3:30Drop 2 with a pretty twist · Episode 136
Reversed: start on the diminished, play it full, and play only two notes of the minor 6.
5:59Drop 2 with a pretty twist · Episode 136
Right hand: pluck the two notes with the pick and the third finger.
7:12Drop 2 with a pretty twist · Episode 136
Used over B half-diminished, E7, A minor, and later in Body and Soul.
3:22Chord melodies from Barry’s scales of chords · Episode 138
Barry’s practice: full sixth chord, then only the lowest and highest notes of the diminished, a tenth.

Idea 7 of 10

Triads in the sixth diminished scale

Triads up the G6 diminished scale alternate G6 and diminished sounds. Moving one voice (the lowest, top or middle) a half step down and back, or to the next scale tone, turns them into small voice-led movements for intros and turnarounds.

Practise it: Run the triads up and down with each voice moved in turn, in G and then in all keys, major 6 and minor 6.

More on this 9 moments where Chris teaches it

Where Chris teaches it

3:33Practising and making lines with the E minor 6th diminished scale · Episode 39
Triads on the minor 6 diminished scale, repeating the middle note.
0:52Triads · Episode 70
G6 diminished triads: G6, diminished, G6, diminished, all the way up.
1:34Triads · Episode 70
Move the lowest note down a half step and back, on every degree.
2:08Triads · Episode 70
Then the top note.
2:49Triads · Episode 70
Then the middle note, which needs new fingerings.
3:32Triads · Episode 70
Move to the next scale tone higher instead.
6:51Triads · Episode 70
G6 is E minor 7: E minor to A7 into D major, as in Body and Soul.
8:58Triads · Episode 70
Using them for an intro.
10:12Triads · Episode 70
Once it’s in your fingers you’re not done: you have to place it tastefully.

Idea 8 of 10

Least movement: find the closest voicing

Barry didn’t like jumping from one big chord to another; he moved one or two notes at a time. From any voicing, find the nearest inversion of the next chord, moving as few notes as possible: between sixth chords, diminished chords and dominants usually only two or three voices move (B flat 6 to B diminished moves two). Working a progression this way from every inversion shows which notes really change, makes the voice leading look after itself, and in Chris’s view changes how guitarists comp.

Practise it: Pick a starting inversion and play the whole progression with the closest voicings, slowly with a metronome; then start from the next inversion and repeat until you have done all four.

More on this 19 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called Finding the closest voicing, Find the closest chord, Least movement, move the fewest notes, every inversion of the move, nearest inversion, voice leading through the scale of chords, moving the least amount possible, movement is the idea, fewest notes

Where Chris teaches it

9:39Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 2 · Episode 12
From each D minor 6, the closest G minor 6, then the closest A7.
11:36Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
The same in drop 3 and drop 2-and-4: D minor 6 to G minor 6 to B flat minor 6.
14:05Minor sixth diminished chords in drop 3 and drop 2-4 · Episode 13
A slow-tempo exercise, then the same in C minor and F minor.
3:40Comping for How High the Moon · Episode 16
Know all the inversions of D6 to G6 and the closest way to get there.
5:23Comping for A Night in Tunisia · Episode 19
From every E flat 7 inversion, the closest D minor 6.
4:56Comping All the Things You Are · Episode 23
A flat 6 to D flat 6: two notes in common, only two move.
2:24Why do we all play this? Comping on I Got Rhythm · Episode 121
Bb6 to B diminished, moving the fewest notes: B-flat to B and G to A-flat.
3:03Why do we all play this? Comping on I Got Rhythm · Episode 121
Each inversion of Bb6, the closest B diminished, E-flat 6, then F7.
1:37You’re going to have fun with this: the Lady Bird turnback · Episode 130
Lady Bird: C6 from the third fret of the A string, then the closest E-flat 7 on the fourth fret from its flat 7.
2:32Think small, not big: F6, F7, B flat 6, B diminished · Episode 135
F6 to F7 in every inversion: whenever you reach the D, change it to E-flat.
4:49A beautiful way to play a minor blues · Episode 139
Minor blues: from each drop 2 inversion of C minor 6, find the closest F, A-flat, D-flat and E-flat minor 6.
1:10Six must-know ii-Vs · Episode 158
Barry didn’t like going from big chord to big chord, as guitarists generally do
14:34First step to understanding Barry’s scales of chords · Episode 164
‘Movement is the idea’
1:08No more comping 4’s: small moves with sixth chords · Episode 167
Barry emphasised tiny movements, one reason he believed in sixth chords
1:39No more comping 4’s: small moves with sixth chords · Episode 167
All the Things You Are, first eight bars: Fm7, Bbm7, Eb7, Abmaj, Dbmaj, Dm7b5, G7, C
4:30No more comping 4’s: small moves with sixth chords · Episode 167
Ab6 to Db6 is a two-note move: C down to Bb and Eb down to Db, while Ab and F stay
6:47No more comping 4’s: small moves with sixth chords · Episode 167
Db6 to Eb7: the other two notes move, F down a whole step and Ab down a half step
8:26No more comping 4’s: small moves with sixth chords · Episode 167
This is every ii-V, not just this tune
9:32No more comping 4’s: small moves with sixth chords · Episode 167
Eb7 to Ab6: three notes move and Eb stays

Idea 9 of 10

Three to six from the fifth

Know the seventh chord on every degree of the major scale, in root position and from the fifth. Barry’s exercise plays the three chord from its fifth to the six chord, then 4-7, 5-1, 6-2, 7-3, 1-4, 2-5: the outer notes move and the two middle notes stay, which is the sound he wants. It also leads to small devices, such as D minor 7 into its tritone D flat 7.

Practise it: Play the chain up and down the scale in drop 2, then in every key; add thirds with a half step below.

More on this 4 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called chords in the major scale, the 3-6 exercise

Where Chris teaches it

0:36Chords in the Major Scale · Episode 26
The chords of C major, each from the root and from the fifth.
1:47Chords in the Major Scale · Episode 26
E minor 7 from the fifth to A minor 7: outer notes move, the middle two stay.
2:21Chords in the Major Scale · Episode 26
Up the scale: 3-6, 4-7, 5-1, 6-2, 7-3, 1-4, 2-5, and back.
4:47Chords in the Major Scale · Episode 26
Barry’s device: a figure on D minor 7, then the same on D flat 7 (the tritone), for a ballad.

Idea 10 of 10

The release-note chord exercise

A three-note shape on the A, G and B strings walked up the scale, where one note then releases down to the scale note below (C-B-E, B releasing to A). Variations add a half step below the release note, make the four chord minor, or treat that four minor as the ii of a new key to move through E flat, G flat and A. Barry uses it for intros, endings and runs; it also works on the minor 6 diminished scale.

Practise it: Walk the shape up and down the scale; then add the half step below the release note; then try the four-minor and modulating versions.

Cmaj7

Dm7

Fmaj7

C-B-Eb; G string releases to fret 2

More on this 9 moments where Chris teaches it

Also called chord ideas in C major, small shapes on the middle strings

Where Chris teaches it

0:34Chord Ideas in C Major · Episode 27
C major 7: C, B and E, then the B releases to A.
1:12Chord Ideas in C Major · Episode 27
D minor 7: D, C and F, then C releases to B.
1:54Chord Ideas in C Major · Episode 27
F major 7: F, E and A, then E releases to D.
2:36Chord Ideas in C Major · Episode 27
G7: G, F and B, then F releases to E.
4:11Chord Ideas in C Major · Episode 27
Variation: come a half step below the note you released to.
5:57Chord Ideas in C Major · Episode 27
Make the four chord F minor; then treat it as the ii of E flat and move to E flat, G flat, A and back to C.
7:46Chord Ideas in C Major · Episode 27
Use it for an intro, a run up the scale or an ending, sometimes with all major chords.
1:46Minor 6th Diminished Chord Ideas · Episode 28
The same idea on C minor 6 diminished: C, B, E flat, with B releasing to A.
4:47Minor 6th Diminished Chord Ideas · Episode 28
Used in C minor, and for A half-diminished to D7 to G minor, since C minor 6 is A minor 7 flat 5.