Chord Inversions

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Chapter 5 · Lesson 02

In short

A chord stays the same even when the order of its notes changes. What changes is the inversion, that is, which note sits at the bottom. In root position the root is at the bottom; in the inversions, some other note of the chord is.

Lesson Notes

In the previous lesson we saw how a triad is built from the root, the third and the fifth. Today we take one step further: the same three notes can be arranged in three different ways, and each time the harmony stays the same.

01Same notes, different order

Take C major as an example: C, E, G. If you put E or G at the bottom instead of C, the chord is still C major. Its identity doesn't change, nor does its type (major/minor/augmented/diminished). What changes is the colour of the sound and the bass note.

These different arrangements of the same chord are called inversions. The arrangement with the root at the bottom has a special name: root position.

02The three positions

A triad has three positions in total, one for each note that can sit at the bottom.

The three positions of C major

Root position

root at the bottom (C)

First inversion

the third at the bottom (E)

Second inversion

the fifth at the bottom (G)

In all three positions we have the same chord (C major). Only the note at the bottom changes.

To remember easily which position is which: root position has the root at the bottom, the first inversion has the third at the bottom, and the second inversion has the fifth at the bottom.

03Why they are useful

When you change chords in a piece, the bass usually jumps from note to note. With inversions you can choose each time which note sits at the bottom, so that the bass line moves more smoothly, without big leaps. The harmony doesn't change, but the result sounds smoother.