Music Theory De-mystified BlogB15. Chord Voicing: Inversions Of Triads

This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.

Voicing

The notes of a chord can be used more than once, at different octaves or in unison. They can also be played in any pitch order, not just as listed in the content.

The following are all a C major chord:

Arranging the notes of chords into a specific pitch order is called voicing.

There are many possible ways to voice a chord but the difference in character is often minimal. It’s not uncommon for chord parts to leave much of that detail up to the player, rather than write down the exact order of the notes. Chord charts are a good example of this approach.

However, there is one aspect of voicing that has an obvious impact on how the chord sounds, and that is the lowest note. It’s one detail that we should be able to describe, even in a chord chart.

Inversions Of Triads

The most significant note in how a chord is voiced is the lowest note. The lowest note in a chord is called the bass note, even if it’s not particularly low.

The bass note has more influence in the character of the chord than the higher notes.

When the root note is lowest, we say the chord is in root position
When the 3rd is lowest, the chord is in 1st inversion
When the 5th is lowest, the chord is in 2nd inversion

Note: More complex chords also have a 3rd inversion. We’ll look at 3rd inversion chords in B21. Dominant 7th Chords/inversions.

Inversions of Major Triads

The easiest way to change the inversion of a triad is to take the lowest note and put it up an octave.

Let’s look at a major triad, C major.

You can spot which inversion a triad is in by looking at the intervals from note to note.

in root position we have a Major 3rd, then a minor 3rd
In 1st inversion we have a minor 3rd, then a perfect 4th
In 2nd inversion we have a perfect 4th then a major 3rd

Inversions of Minor Triads

Now let’s look at a minor triad, for example C minor.

The degrees are the same as the inversions of a major triad. Only the quality of the 3rds is different.

in root position we have a minor 3rd, then a Major 3rd
In 1st inversion we have a Major 3rd, then a perfect 4th
In 2nd inversion we have a perfect 4th then a minor 3rd

If the notes are written on a stave, you can spot the inversion for both major and minor triads by just counting scale notes (degrees).

Here are the same inversions as notes on a stave.

In the above examples the notes were written in their default pitch order, as consecutive notes in the triad. Often, the notes will be in a different order: the notes of a chord can be in any pitch order. Notes can be in different octaves, even multiple octaves.

For inversions, we ignore all of that detail. The only thing that affects the inversion is the bass note. If the bass note is the same then the chord is in the same inversion.

The bass note determines the inversion, regardless of the order of the higher notes.

The following C major chords are all in 1st inversion:

How To Name A Chord And Its Inversion

You can work out the name and inversion of a triad by its content. That is, by removing any extra octaves and listing the notes in triad order. Once the content is listed in order, the inversion is easily seen by looking at the intervals from note to note.

Method:

Name each note in the chord, excluding octaves
Write the content in triad order, lowest note first
Name the intervals between consecutive notes in the content
Match the order of the intervals to a chord inversion; either root position, 1st inversion or 2nd inversion
Name the root note, based on the pattern of intervals in the previous step
Name the chord and it’s inversion

Example:

The notes in the example and exercises below are played slightly arpeggiated so you can hear the individual notes more clearly.

From low to high, the notes are E C# A E A
The content, from the lowest note up and in triad order, is E A C#
E-A = perfect 4th, A-C# = Major 3rd
perfect 4th + Major 3rd is the pattern of a major chord in 2nd inversion
In 2nd inversion, the root note is the middle note (the upper note of the perfect 4th) = A
A major 2nd inversion

Try These … 1

The following chords are major or minor triads. There are no key signatures so you can’t assume they’re C major or A minor chords…

Name each chord and state its inversion (root position, 1st inversion or 2nd inversion).

Answers at the end of this post.

TIP: Shortcut For Finding the Root Note of a Triad

If you see two chord notes that are a perfect 5th apart, the lower note is the root note.
If you see two chord notes a perfect 4th apart, the upper note is the root note.

Inversions and Chord Symbols: Slash Notation

For chord charts, there’s an easy, concise way to describe the inversion of a chord in a chord symbol, called slash notation.

In slash notation, we write the chord name, then a forward slash followed by the name of the bass note.

For example, a C minor chord in 1st inversion has an Eb bass.
This would be written as Cm/Eb

In a chord chart, it’s like having a bass line as well as the chords rolled into one part.

Note: When the chord is in root position we don’t use a slash note, as the bass note is already in the chord name.

Try These… 2

Write the following chords in slash notation:

Work out the name of the bass note
Write the chord symbol, then a forward slash, then the name of the bass note

A major chord in 1st inversion
E minor chord in 1st inversion
D major chord in 2nd inversion
F minor chord in 2nd inversion

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NEXT LESSON: B16. Listen And Sing: Learn To Sing Major And Minor Triads

PART 2 CONTENTS: Basic Music Theory Course Contents

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Answers to Try These…

1

From low to high, the notes are F C A
The content in triad order, from the lowest note up, is F A C
F-A = Major 3rd, A-C = minor 3rd
Major 3rd + minor 3rd is the pattern of a major chord in root position
In root position, the root note is the lowest note = F
F major root position

From low to high, the notes are B E G E
The content in triad order, from the lowest note up, is B E G
B-E = perfect 4th, E-G = minor 3rd
perfect 4th + minor 3rd is the pattern of a minor chord in 2nd inversion
In 2nd inversion, the root note is the middle note (the upper note of the perfect 4th) = E
E minor 2nd inversion

From low to high, the notes are D A D F
The content in triad order, from the lowest note up, is D F A
D-F = minor 3rd, F-A = Major 3rd
minor 3rd + Major 3rd is the pattern of a minor chord in root position
In root position, the root note is the lowest note = D
D minor root position

From low to high, the notes are B E G# B E
The content in triad order, from the lowest note up, is B E G#
B-E = perfect 4th, E-G# = Major 3rd
perfect 4th + Major 3rd is the pattern of a major chord in 2nd inversion
In 2nd inversion, the root note is the middle note (the upper note of the perfect 4th) = E
E major 2nd inversion

From low to high, the notes are Bb G D Bb
The content in triad order, from the lowest note up, is Bb D G
Bb-D = Major 3rd, D-G = perfect 4th
Major 3rd + perfect 4th is the pattern of a minor chord in 1st inversion
In 1st inversion, the root note is the top note (the upper note of the perfect 4th) = G
G minor 1st inversion

From low to high, the notes are E C# A E A
The content in triad order, from the lowest note up, is E A C#
E-A = perfect 4th, A-C# = Major 3rd
perfect 4th + Major 3rd is the pattern of a major chord in 2nd inversion
In 2nd inversion, the root note is the middle note (the upper note of the perfect 4th) = A
A major 2nd inversion

2

A/C#
E/G
D/A
Fm/C

B15. Chord Voicing: Inversions Of Triads

Voicing