Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 75 views

    Chord Inversions Ib & Ic

    Uploaded by

    José António Correia
    Chord inversions add richness to chord progressions by rearranging the notes within chords. There are three types of inversions: first inversion moves the root note to the top, second inversion moves the third to the top, and third inversion occurs in seventh chords when the seventh is on bottom. Composers can use first and second inversions to build emotion and lead between chords, or to bring sections like choruses to a strong finish by using second inversions on the penultimate chord.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Chord Inversions Ib & Ic

    Uploaded by

    José António Correia
    75 views3 pages
    Chord inversions add richness to chord progressions by rearranging the notes within chords. There are three types of inversions: first inversion moves the root note to the top, second inversion moves the third to the top, and third inversion occurs in seventh chords when the seventh is on bottom. Composers can use first and second inversions to build emotion and lead between chords, or to bring sections like choruses to a strong finish by using second inversions on the penultimate chord.

    Original Description:

    Chord Inversions Ib & Ic

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Chord inversions add richness to chord progressions by rearranging the notes within chords. There are three types of inversions: first inversion moves the root note to the top, second inversion moves the third to the top, and third inversion occurs in seventh chords when the seventh is on bottom. Composers can use first and second inversions to build emotion and lead between chords, or to bring sections like choruses to a strong finish by using second inversions on the penultimate chord.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    75 views3 pages

    Chord Inversions Ib & Ic

    Uploaded by

    José António Correia
    Chord inversions add richness to chord progressions by rearranging the notes within chords. There are three types of inversions: first inversion moves the root note to the top, second inversion moves the third to the top, and third inversion occurs in seventh chords when the seventh is on bottom. Composers can use first and second inversions to build emotion and lead between chords, or to bring sections like choruses to a strong finish by using second inversions on the penultimate chord.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    Chord Inversions

    Chord inversions add a richness to a chord progression and are a great tool for
    composers to use.
    I am going to show how easy chord inversions are to understand and give you a few
    examples of when you should try to use them in your songs/pieces.

    Understanding Chord
    Inversions
    Chord inversions are really easy to understand!
    Think of a triad – it has 3 notes.
    The bottom note is called the root note, the middle note is called the 3rd and the top
    note is called the 5th.

    If you play a triad with the notes in this order then it is in Root Position.

    Now, let’s play the triad again, but this time we are going to move the root note to the
    top of the triad. The 3rd is now at the bottom of the triad.

    This is called First Inversion.

    Let’s play the triad one last time, but this time we are going to move the 3rd to the top.
    The 5th is now at the bottom of the triad.

    This is called Second Inversion.


    What about third inversions?
    There is another inversion called a 3rd inversion.
    This happens when you are using a 4-note chord such as a seventh chord.
    If you put the 7th note at the bottom of the chord then this is in Third Inversion.

    Roman numerals
    In the Roman numeral system of writing chords a lower case letter is written after the
    chord to show if it is in an inversion. The letter “b” is used for 1st inversion and the letter
    “c” is used for 2nd inversion.

    So:
    Ib = Chord I in its 1st inversion
    Ic = Chord I in its 2nd inversion

    Popular Music
    In popular music you will often see chord symbols like G/B. This says that a G chord
    should be played with a B at the bottom (a G triad in first inversion).
    G/D would mean that a G chord should be played with a D at the bottom (a G triad in
    second inversion).

    When should I use chord inversions?


    You can start using the 1st and 2nd inversions in your compositions straight away. The
    key thing I want you to remember is that when you play an inversion it will sound like it
    is leading somewhere.

    USING THE 1ST INVERS ION


    First inversions are a great way of building emotion and leading from one chord to
    the next. They sound really good if you are moving from chord I to chord IV in your
    chord progression.
    USING THE 2ND INVERSION
    Second inversions are fantastic if you want to bring a section of your music (e.g. the
    chorus) to a strong finish.
    If your chord progression finishes I-V-I then if you play Ic-V-I then it will sound great.

    You might also like