Ear Training XII - 7th Chords in Closed, Drop 2, Drop 3, and Drop 2/4 Voicings

This is the last ear training exercise in a series of exercises on 7th chords. New this month is the presence of Drop 2/4 voicings. I am actually not sure if this exact terminology is used by other guitarists. By Drop 2/4 I mean a voicing which results from dropping the second and fourth note from the top of a closed voicing down one octave. For example, C-E-G-B becomes C-G-E-B. These voicings are quite spread out and possess the chordal seventh as their highest note. I especially like these voicings for minor 7th and major 7th chords as they expose the perfect 5ths that compose those chords.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Ear Training XI - 7th Chords in Closed, Drop 2, and Drop 3 Voicings

Continuing a series of ear training exercises on 7th chords, this exercise randomly plays root position 7th chords in closed, Drop 2, and Drop 3 voicings. Drop 2 voicings are more tightly packed than Drop 3 voicings and tend to require more fingers. When I am in doubt as to the voicing of a particular chord I will often listen for the highest note. In a Drop 3 chord this will always be the chordal fifth and in a Drop 2 voicing it will be the chordal third.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Ear Training X - 7th Chords in Closed and Drop 3 Voicings

This month’s ear training exercise complicates the previous 7th chord exercise by presenting them in closed and Drop 3 voicings. ‘Drop’ terminology is frequently used by guitarists and simply describes the process of ‘dropping’ one note from a closed voicing one octave. In this case Drop 3 means “take the third note from the top of a seventh chord in a closed voicing and drop it one octave”. For example, C-E-G-B would become G-C-E-B. Guitarists make use of these voicings because they tend to spread the intervals of chords out in such a way that makes them easier to play.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.

Ear Training IX - 7th Chords in Root Position

This month’s ear training exercise turns away from melodic sequences and back to harmony. The exercise randomly plays 7th chord—major 7th, minor 7th, dominant 7th, half-diminished 7th, and diminished 7th—in root position and in a closed voicing. Compared to previous triad exercises, this exercise is complicated by a greater number of chordal qualities. The principal difficulty I have with this exercise, however, is identifying the root of fully diminished 7th chords. Here, even more than with diminished triads, I find the symmetrical structure of the chord makes identifying its root problematic. It is also worth noting that certain chords in certain registers of the guitar can be very uncomfortable if not impossible to execute. In these case I simply arpeggiate some portion of the chord.

You can see me play this exercise here and download the code for it here. To use the code, simply open the code in Supercollider, select the Language tab, and click ‘evaluate file’.