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What Is an Inversion?

What Is an Inversion?

An inversion is a chord played with a note other than its root as the lowest note. The chord's identity doesn't change — C major is still C-E-G — but the stacking order does:

  • Root position: root on the bottom (C-E-G)
  • First inversion: third on the bottom (E-G-C)
  • Second inversion: fifth on the bottom (G-C-E)
  • Seventh chords add a third inversion (seventh on the bottom)

Why invert at all?

Two reasons. Bass melody: inversions let the bassline walk smoothly instead of leaping root to root — the classic C → G/B → Am descent is a first-inversion G doing exactly this. In chord charts, inversions appear as slash chords: G/B means "G chord, B in the bass."

Economy of motion: on guitar, the nearest voicing of the next chord is usually an inversion. Moving Am → Dm as root-position grips means jumping the neck; using inversions, the change happens within two frets. That's voice leading, and it's why triad practice always includes all three inversions on each string set — the drill sequence is in How to Practice Triads.

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