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Note: You might want to print this lesson out for easier reading...

Let's get started!

First, let's start with the basics.

As stated above, an "inversion" is simply another way to play the same chord.

...So when someone says "invert" that chord, they are basically saying to apply some changes to the chord so that it's played differently.

Now the rule behind inverting a chord is this:

In other words, "the number of notes in a chord is equal to how many different ways you can play the chord."

So if you are playing a 3 note chord C major (C+E+G), there would be three total ways to play the chord --- and since you're using one of those ways to play "C E G," that leaves two more to go!

So let's talk about the different types of inversions:

Let's analyze this inversion really quickly.

In C major, the keynote is C. Remember, the keynote is simply the name of the chord. So a C major chord in root position always has C as it's lowest note:

C E G

Recall that you can form ANY major chord by simply taking the [1st], [3rd], and [5th] tones of any major scale.

In other words, if you know all twelve major scales, then you know all 12 major chords. In fact, you know all 12 minor chords...dominant chords... major seventh chords, and more (...because all of these chords come from major scales).

"C E G" is basically the first, third, and fifth tone of the C major scale.

C major scale = C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C

C is 1

E is 3

G is 5

1+3+5 = major chord

Now that you understand how the numbers work, I can move on to the other two inversions:

In the C major scale, what is the third tone?

Answer: E

The C major chord is said to be in first inversion when the third tone (or E) is the lowest note:

E G C

Notice that we basically took the keynote from the bottom (C E G) and put it on the top ( E G C). So when someone tells you to invert this chord up, that's would you'd do. Take the C from the bottom (root position) and move it to the top, thus creating the first inversion.

As you already know, the fifth of C major is G.

C major in second inversion is: G + C + E

Notice here, we just took the "E" first inversion ( E + G + C) and moved it to the top (G + C + E). This also leaves the keynote right smack in the middle.

Recap:

Root position: C E G (keynote on bottom)

First inversion: E G C (third on bottom)

Second inversion: G C E (fifth on bottom)

Quick Exercise

1) F major

F major scale: F G A Bb C D E F

F major (root position) = _______________

F major (first inversion) = _______________

F major (second inversion) = _______________

2) Bb major

Bb major scale: Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Bb major (root position) = _______________

Bb major (first inversion) = _______________

Bb major (second inversion) = _______________

3) G major

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

G major (root position) = _______________

G major (first inversion) = _______________

G major (second inversion) = _______________

Answers:

1) F major

Root: F A C

First: A C F

Second: C F A

2) Bb major

Root: Bb D F

First: D F Bb

Second: F Bb D

3) G major

Root: G B D

First: B D G

Second: D G B

Moving on...

Remember my inversion rule from above?

Since we've only been dealing with triads (3-note chords), there have only been three total inversions.

Here's a break down of the inversions that exist in larger chords:

Seventh chords (4-notes):

Ninth chords (5-notes):

Eleventh chords (6-notes):

Thirteenth chords (7-notes):

Progressions generally move in fourth and fifth intervals. When you really do a study of fourth and fifth intervals, you'll find that they are really inverses of each other. In other words, to go "up" a fourth produces a similar sound as going "down" a fifth (though one is a higher chord than the other).

Take a look at the C major scale

Going up a fourth just means going up four notes in the scale.

C 1

D 2

E 3

F 4

So moving from a chord based on "C" up to a chord based on "F" is known as moving up a fourth.

Let's look at the scale again (but this time, 2 octaves):

Going down a fourth just means going down four notes in the scale (starting from middle C).

C is 1

B is 2

A is 3

G is 4

So moving from a chord based on "C" down to a chord based on "G" is known as moving down a fourth.

You can also reverse the directions of both of these examples:

Moving up a fifth:

C is 1

D is 2

E is 3

F is 4

G is 5

A chord based on "C" moving up to a chord based on "G" is known as moving up a fifth.

Moving down a fifth:

C is 1

B is 2

A is 3

G is 4

F is 5

...So "C" down to "F" is a fifth.

That's why I said "fourths" and "fifths" are actually closer than you think, depending on whether you're going up a fourth/fifth interval, or going down.

Let's analyze the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones of a scale.

These are known as Primary Chords

Out of all the triads of the major scale, they are the only major chords. When looking at the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th tones of a major scale, you'll find that they are not associated with major chords but with minor chords (2, 3, and 6 tones) and diminished (7 tone) chords.

So indeed, there is something special about the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones of a scale. In fact, you'll find that majority of songs move between the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones in one way or another. In fact, I can't think of many songs where I wouldn't play the 1st, 4th, or 5th tone. That's how popular these chord movements are.

Primary chords:

C major chord: C E G

F major chord: F A C

G major chord: G B D

Using inversions, you can actually connect these chords together very smoothly without having to lift your fingers. Instead, you can "slide" into each chord from the last one.

Note: If you're following the melody, it may be necessary to lift your fingers at times. However, if you are playing the organ, playing in a band, or accompanying a singer, you may find it more helpful to use inversions to connect chords together easier.

Say you wanted to play this progression:

C major -- F major --- G major --- F major --- C major

How could you connect all these chords together without lifting your fingers?

Answer: Using the closest inversion from whatever chord you're currently playing.

Example:

If you were playing  C major in root position (C E G) and you wanted to progress up a fourth to F major, the closest inversion wouldn't be (F A C).

Look how far you're moving: [ C E G ] all the way up to [ F A C ]

Solution:

Find a closer inversion of F major. Ask yourself this one question: "Are there any COMMON NOTES between the C major and F major chords?

Answer: YES, the "C"

F major: F A C

In this example, "C" is the common note. The bigger your chords get, the more common notes:

F major 7: F A C E

Now the common notes are C and E

Bigger chord:

F major 9: F A C E G

Now the common notes are C, E and G.

So instead of lifting fingers, keep your common notes in place and find out where you have to move the other notes (usually right next door) to create the next chord in the progression.

Example:

C major to F major

Root positions:

C major: C E G

F major: F A C

Common note: C

1) Keep C in place after playing the C major chord

2) Since C is permanent, what do you do with the G? Move it up to A

3) What do you do with E? Move it up to F.

4) New chord: C F A (F major, second inversion)

Another Example:

Cmaj7 to Fmaj7

Root positions:

Cmaj7: C E G B

Fmaj7: F A C E

Common notes: C and E

1) Keep C and E in place after playing the Cmaj7 chord

2) Since C and E are permanent (common notes), move B down to A.

3) Move G down to F.

4) Now that you've taken care of the non-common notes ("B down to A" and "G down to F"), you have a new chord: F major 7 / second inversion (C E F A).

Here's the key rules (if moving up in fourths, like most songs):

Example: C E G to C F A   or   C E G B to C E F A

Example: E G C to F A C

Example: G C E to A C F

Recap:

Root  to Second

Second to First

First to Root

Root >>> Second >>> First >>> Root

This even works for bigger chord progressions (for my experienced people):

Bbmin9 (Ab C Db F over  Bb bass)

Ebmin9 (Gb Bb Db F over  Eb bass)

What did we do? We moved up a fourth.

Common notes? Db, F

Did we lift those fingers? No

Smooth sound? Yes!

We'll continue this study of inversions and smooth transitioning in the next issue!

If you were intrigued by the online classroom lesson above,