Hey Friend,
Hope your weekend is going well.
On Friday, we talked about using a chromatic technique to create a downward stepping movement in chord progression. The technique is called a minor drop.
Today, I put together a couple tabs for you demonstrating the technique. Let’s look at the intro to “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin and “Michelle” by the Beatles.
It’s no shock that the minor drop has been used so effectively to create timeless songs.
The riff taps into a melancholy mood that we can all identify with - kind of a sad longing for someone (or something) we want or miss.
It can resolve to major or minor tonalities easily.
“Stairway to Heaven"
First, let’s look at “Stairway.” The key is A minor, and the song starts with an Am chord that is finger-picked.
The minor drop calls for the root note of the chord to step down a half step for each chord change, keeping the 3b and 5 notes the same (remember, a minor chord uses the 1 3b 5 notes in its construction from its key).
With the first three chords (1.5 bars), you keep your hand in the A minor position on the guitar neck and simply adjust your fingering. The fourth chord moves you down to the second fret, and the fifth to the open position.
The result is the root note dropping from A, to Ab, G, Gb (G flat), F, or the 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th and 3rd frets respectively on the fourth string. The whole riff resolves to an A minor (but I represented it as the A5 power chord in the tabs). Here's the full " Stairway to Heaven."
“Michelle”
“Michelle” is written in the key of F minor. We start with an Fm chord at the 8th fret. As the root note drops for each chord, it goes from F to Fb (E), Eb, D, C# and finally C in the last bar.
On the fingerboard, that's the third string, 10th, 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th and 5th frets, as you walk down the chromatic scale.
As you can hear, this song resolved to a major tonality.
When you look at the chord charts at the top, you’ll notice the familiar triad shapes of F, E and D, so make sure you look at the fingering to help you form the shapes.
Keep in mind, the key doesn't change, or the fundamental tone of the song, but I think it’s interesting that the minor drop technique can end up on either a minor or major chord. Super versatile! Here's Paul McCartney playing " Michelle" live.
If you get a chance today, play around with these so you can get a feel for how the minor drop works.
I’ll catch you later this week. Have a great day!
Peace~
Dave | 
