5.1.4 Inversions

Music Theory

5.1.4 Inversions

Learners can:

• identify three types of chord inversions
• identify chords in first and second inversion
• notate and abbreviate chords with inversions

Vocabulary: chord inversion, first inversion, root position, second inversion

Review: Triads

• A TRIAD is specifically a three-note chord with pitches stacked in thirds

Review: Chord Tones

• root—the first pitch of the chord
• pitch the chord is named after
• third—the second pitch of the chord
• a third above the root
• fifth—the third pitch of the chord

• a fifth above the root

Inversions

• Chords aren't always in root position
• The notes in a chord can be rearranged not in thirds
• As long as all the chord tones are still present, it is the same chord, just in inversion

Reasons for Inversions

• sound preference
• smooth versus choppy flow
• ease of performing

Reasons for Inversions

Root Position

• root pitch in lowest voice

R 3 5 7

Root Position

First Inversion

• third in lowest voice

R 3 5 7

First Inversion

Second Inversion

• fifth in lowest voice

R 3 5 7

Second Inversion

R 3 5 7

Third Inversion

• seventh in lowest voice

Labelling Inversions

• identify the root pitch
• can restack in thirds to do this
• label the chord as root + quality / lowest pitch
• ex. C dim/ Eb

click the cat to watch music theory guy talk about inversions

Labelling Inversions

1 2 3 4 5

Labelling Inversions

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Labelling Inversions

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Labelling Inversions

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Labelling Inversions

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Summary

In today's lesson, you:

• identified three types of chord inversions
• identified chords in first, second, and third inversions
• notated and abbreviated chords with inversions

In the upcoming lesson, you will learn to aurally recognize chords.