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Fundamentals of Music Theory |
Inversion
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So far, the triads we've constructed and identified have all had the root as the lowest note:
In real music, however, the lowest note is often not the root of the chord! In this case, we say the chord is in inversion:
This process is similar to interval inversion. |
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The lowest note of a chord is called the bass. The note that is in the bass determines the name of the inversion:
Remember: The root can be anywhere in the chord; the bass is the bottom note. Constructing triads in inversion is almost as easy as constructing
root position triads! First imagine (or construct) a root position
triad, then put the correct note in the bass, and write the other
two notes above it. |
Construct some triads in various inversions:
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Next Page: Identifying Inversions