Chord Inversions

Lesson 1

Chord inversions are "spellings" of a chord with a note other than the fundamental in the bass. Let's take a simple example:

The C major triad consists of the notes C, E and G, in that order:

As long as the C is on the bottom, the chord is in root position. Both the above spelling (C E G) and this one (C G E):

... are in root position.

If we put the E on the bottom, the chord is in first inversion:

E-G-C and E-C-G are both the first inversion of the C major triad, because the E is on the bottom:

If the third note of the chord, in this case G, is on the bottom, the chord is in second inversion:

The chords can be in closed position:

... or open position:

... but that doesn't affect chord inversions. The only thing that matters is which note is in the bass.

Now that you've completed this introductory lesson, it's time to move on to lesson 2 of chord inversions!