Inverting Closed-Position Triads

If musicians only used the basic closed-position triads in their work, music wouldn’t sound anywhere near as compelling and vibrant as it often does.

Inverting chords that you already know will help you add an entirely new dimension to them, and it's a great tool for artists looking to keep their music sounding fresh and interesting.

Everyone from Bach to Coltrane to Bruno Mars, have found ways to make great use of these in their work. Having a good grasp of chord inversions will help you expand your musical vocabulary.

In this blog we will learn more about this topic.

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What Are Chord Inversions?

When any chord tone other than the root of a chord is played in the bass, we refer to them as inversions of that particular chord.

For context, if you take the chord tones of a C major chord, the basic order of notes is C E G. So C (the root) is being played in the bass.

To invert this chord, you can play either E in the bass (E G C), or even G in the bass (G C E).

Types Of Inversions

There are 3 main types of inversions for closed-position triads:

1. Root Inversion - The root in the bass

2. 1st Inversion - The 3rd (minor or major) on the bass

3. 2nd Inversion - The 5th (perfect or diminished) in the bass

Uses Of Inversions

Chord inversions are great for creating interesting movements in the bass register and voice-leading in general.

For example, a common voice-led harmonic movement is going down from the root inversion IV major chord to a 1st inversion I major chord.

So in the key of C, the root inversion IV chord, F major (F A C), goes down to a 1st inversion C major (E G C).

Inversions are also a common choice for chord-melodies on guitar or piano. You will find numerous uses of these in jazz and classical music.

Listen to classical composers like Bach, Debussey, Chopin, and Beethoven. And jazz improvisers like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Joe Pass, and Wes Montgomery.

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