inversion ?

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 2 Nov 2003 9:06 pm

ok folks its time for another one of my dumb questions, what does the term inversion mean ?? i see that there are 1st 2nd and 3rd inversions of a chord so what does all this mean ?

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 2 Nov 2003 9:24 pm

Explained in very SIMPLE language: The chord of C consists of C E G. 2nd inversion: E G C 3rd inversion: G C E ( No matter the inversion, it is still the chord of C )

Bobby Flores · Post by **Bobby Flores** » 2 Nov 2003 9:24 pm

Hey Calvin,

First, there are many more qualified players than me out there to answer this for you, but I'll give it my humble shot.

Think of the the term "inversion" as the same notes of a chord in a different order of note arrangements. Let's take a simple C Major chord:

The straight C Major triad (chord) has the C note on the bottom (as the "root or "tonic") and then the E note is next in the triad and finally the G note. So stacked up together you'd have a stock C Major triad:

G
E
C

The "first inversion" of this chord simply means the next way you can arrange the notes. So this time the note that's at the bottom (C) gets moved to the top. So the first inversion of the C major triad (or C Major chord) would then look like this:

C
G
E

And the only other possible inversion of this triad is the "second inversion" which moves the E note to the top position:

E
C
G

All of these triads (chords) are still a C Major when played, just different "inversions" of a C Major triad. I hope this helps out.

Bobby

Jeff A. Smith · Post by **Jeff A. Smith** » 2 Nov 2003 9:27 pm

"Inversion" refers to changing the note order in a chord. Consider the (low to high) notes in a major triad:

Root(1), 3rd, and 5th

(These numbers indicate note positions in the major scale based on the chord's root.)

The first inversion is 3,5,1.

The second inversion is 5,1,3.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 2 Nov 2003 9:28 pm

this is a lot more than i knew a few minutes ago. you folks are just great

thanks

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 2 Nov 2003 9:44 pm

Calvin,

All the posters are correct. The following is how to use it..

Key of C

String 4, 5 and 6, 3rd fret.

A and B down

Slide up to the 8th fret

No pedals.

Slide up to the 11th fret

A pedal plus the F knee lever (E to F)

You just heard the 3 inversions in the key of C. You can hear it also using strings 3, 4 and 5, using the same pedals and knee levers and same frets. Also do the same thing on 5, 6 and 8 or 6, 8 and 10.

In each case you are progressing thru the 3 inversions of a C major chord. By doing this in every key and every combination above, it begins to train your ears to HEAR the inversions.

Once you get this down, you can do the same thing with three inversions of a minor chord. Only you would start at the 8th fret (A minor as an example), either strings 3, 4 and 5 or 4, 5 and 6. using the A pedal.

slide up to the 13th fret and use the E to Eb lever.

Then slide up to the 15th fret and use the B and C pedals.

Good luck and may Jesus lead you right always,

carl

[This message was edited by C Dixon on 02 November 2003 at 09:49 PM.]

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 2 Nov 2003 10:05 pm

Calvin-Here is an example.

C-E-G
E-G-C
G-C-E
These are are all various inversions of the C maj chord.........al

(Edited. I guess I had this on my screen before all the good replys, and didn't send it, sorry)
------------------
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 02 November 2003 at 10:07 PM.]

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 2 Nov 2003 11:19 pm

Also you can do this.
Instead of
G
E
C
you can re-arrange them like this.
E C G
G E C
C G E
and have three inversions this set.

[This message was edited by Andy Greatrix on 02 November 2003 at 11:23 PM.]

Bobby Flores · Post by **Bobby Flores** » 3 Nov 2003 6:12 am

I hope I'm not stepping on any toes here guys, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Root position of the chord doesn't actually count as an "inversion", since an inversion is a change from the original root position triad. So in the descriptions above, we are starting with the Root Position of a C Major triad (C,E,G) and then moving on to the first inversion (E,G,C) and then the last one which is the "second inversion" (G,C,E).

When we're talking about a triad, or a chord with only three notes, then there is the Root Position and two possible inversions. If it's a four-note chord, like a Major 7th or whatever, then there is the Root Position and three possible inversions, etc.

Just want to be clear on the info that we're giving out

.[This message was edited by Bobby Flores on 03 November 2003 at 06:14 AM.]

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 3 Nov 2003 7:29 am

I vote for Bobby's explanation/clarification, since he's one of the most knowledgeable musicians I've ever worked with.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Donald Davis · Post by **Donald Davis** » 3 Nov 2003 12:05 pm

Some prefer to use the word position to inversion in these cases and reserve the term inversion for changes in the bass. However, on the steel it is not very often that you get to be your own bass player. Just recalling some old theory from my Harmony Lessons book. I hope it is right.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 3 Nov 2003 1:11 pm

Right; in harmony textbooks, the chord's "inversion" means simply which note is in the bass part.
You occasionally see even "third inversion" meaning that the seventh is in the bass; e.g. G/F.