If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ve seen several lessons on “inversions.”

For those of you who don’t know, an inversion is simply a different way to play a chord.

And here’s a simple rule to remember…

The number of ways to “invert” a chord is equal to the number of notes in the chord!

Got that?

Basically, if the chord has 3 notes, there are 3 different inversions or ways to play that chord.

If the chord has 4 notes in it, there are 4 inversions for that chord.

Pretty simple.

But it doesn’t end there.

That rule just applies to inversions, not voicings. There are tons more ways to “voice” a 3-tone major chord… not just 3.

So don’t mix inversions up with voicings. A voicing is a particular representation of a chord.

Here’s the difference.

C major

Since it has 3 notes, you can invert it three different ways:

Root

First Inversion (has the 3rd degree of the chord on the bottom)

Second Inversion (has the 5th degree of the chord on the bottom)

But let’s look at other “voicings” for the chord.

See… you can double up on notes — you can leave notes out — you can rearrange notes… that’s the difference between inversions and voicings (at least the way I teach it).

C major
C on bass (not shown)

(big sound)

And if you want to get fancier and turn this regular C major triad into a C major 7, it gives you even more “voicings” to experiment with…

C on bass (not shown)

C on bass (not shown)

As you can see, there’s a lot you can do.

So remember that just because it’s written a certain way in the “textbooks” doesn’t mean you have to play it that way!

Until next time —

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Since this post about seventh chords has been resurrected from the dead by various students (via new comments that appear on the side menu), I’ve decided to expound on the concept of that lesson a little more.

Basically in that post, I showed you how to spice up seventh chords by changing the way you voice them.

• How the notes in a chord are spaced.
• What notes are being played twice.
• Where the root of the chord is placed.
• What feeling a particular order gives you.

These things are all important when it comes to understanding voicings.

And believe me, some musicians need a lot of help in this area. Just because you’re playing the same notes as the next musician doesn’t mean you’ll make that chord sound the same way the next musician does.

For example, Jason White and Michael Bereal (from our advanced dvds) both do this well. They can take the same ole’ major chords we’ve been playing for years and make them sound like something we think we’ve never played before. And when you find out what they’re doing, you’re often times blown away because it’s so simple.

The key is how you voice your chords and where you place them.

So in that lesson I referred to above, all I did was take regular seventh chords and alter the order and number of notes I played.

Step 1: I started with the regular root inversions.

Example:
C major 7: C + E + G + B

Step 2: I took out the fifth interval.

Example: The fifth interval in this chord is “G” (”G” is the fifth tone in the C major scale).
C major 7: C + E + B

Step 3: I chose to only play the root on my left hand bass.

Example:
C major 7: E + B on right /// C on left hand bass

Step 4: I chose to double up on the “third” (doubling up means playing octaves).

Example: The third interval in this chord is “E” (”E” is the third tone in the C major scale).
E + B + E

Step 5: Once I established my voicing (which is basically “3 + 7 + 3 over the root bass”), I used this same voicing all the way up the piano.

Example:
You already know the seventh chords that correspond to the major scale. The trick is this: Just slide over your fingers one note and that will give you the voicing for the next chord in the scale.

C major 7 = C + E + G + B = new voicing (E + B + E on right / C on left)
D minor 7 = D + F + A + C = new voicing (F + C + F on right / D on left)
E minor 7 = E + G + B + D = new voicing (G + D + G on right / E on left)
F major 7 = F + A + C + E = new voicing (A + E + A on right / F on left)
G dom 7 = G + B + D + F = new voicing (B + F + B on right / G on left)
A minor 7 = A + C + E + G = new voicing (C + G + C on right / A on left)
B half-dim 7 = B + D + F + A = new voicing (D + A + D on right / B on left)
C major 7 = C + E + G + B = new voicing (E + B + E on right / C on left)

Note: What you see in the first group of notes is what the chord normally looks like in root position. Then you see our voicing in parentheses.

You may be thinking… “wow, that seems too easy. I just move my fingers over and I can learn all these new voicings!”

Well, it’s because these voicings all have the 3rd and 7th in them and quite frankly, that’s all you need in order to play a chord (along with the root, of course). The 5th doesn’t really tell you much about the chord because major, minor, and dominant chords all have perfect 5th intervals. What really matters in a chord is what the 3rd and 7th are doing.

(Even when you’re trying to figure out what kind of chord you’re playing, the third and fifth should be able to tell you. Any extra notes may hint at it being an extended or altered chord but the 3rd and 7th will tell you what kind of underlying chord you’re playing, in most cases).

So try making up your own voicings.

Maybe you won’t use “3 + 7 + 3″ like I did. Maybe yours is the reverse: “7 + 3 + 7.” That sounds pretty good, too! And you can even take it all the way up the scale too because it has the 3rd and 7th and that’s all you need in order to form the seventh chords of a major scale.

Until next time —

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As you know from other articles of mine:

“The number of notes in a chord determines how many inversions exists for that chord”

Example 1: If there are three notes in a chord (as in a “TRIAD”), then there are three inversions for that same chord.

Example 2: If there are seven notes in a chord (like in a “THIRTEENTH” chord), then there are seven ways to play it.

With this being known, the amount of voicings, inversions, and ways to play chords are virtually endless.

# of notes	Type of chord
Three	Triad
Four	Seventh
Five	Ninth
Six	Elevenths
Seven	Thirteenths

If you have the 300pg course, you’ll find more information about this on page 50.

Review:

Here’s a break down of the inversions that exist in larger chords:

Seventh chords (4-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion [More info]

Ninth chords (5-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion, fourth inversion [More info]

Eleventh chords (6-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion, fourth inversion, fifth inversion [More info]

Thirteenth chords (7-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion, fourth inversion, fifth inversion, sixth inversion [More info]

Moving on…

Now that you understand that the bigger the chord, the more ways to play it, we can look at this concept as it relates to more extended chord progressions.

We will cover “2-5-1″ progressions in this lesson. If you don’t know what “2-5-1″ progressions are, feel free to refer to past newsletters or my 300pg home study course for more information.

C major:

Scale: C D E F G A B C

The “2″ of C major is D.

The “5″ of C major is G.

The “1″ of C major is C.

These keynotes (”D,” “G,” and “C”) make up a 2-5-1 progression in C major.

Here are some variations.

Dmin7

G7 (aka Gdom7)

Cmaj7

Dmin7 (D F A C)

G7 (G B D F)

Cmaj7 (C E G B)

Now… notice that these chords are spread out and hardly close to each other. Using the power of inversions and my “common note” trick from the last newsletter, you can invert some of these chords to make them smoother.

Since the Dmin7 is our first chord, let’s keep that one the same.

Dmin7 (D F A C)

We can, however, invert the G7 to be closer to the Dmin7 chord.

First start by finding common notes between the Dmin7 and the G7 chord.

Common notes:

_____________________

_____________________

Notice that the Dmin7 and G7 chords both share the notes: “D” and “F.” These notes happen to be the first 2 notes of the Dmin7 chord.

Therefore, keeping the “D” and “F” in place, change the other notes to complete the G7 chord.

G7 (inverted): D F G B

Ask yourself this question: “Are these the same notes of the G7 chord?”

Your answer should be: “Yes, these are the same notes just played in a different order!”

So now your chord progression looks like this:

Dmin7 (D F A C)

G7 (D F G B) — which is the 2nd inversion of the G7 chord

Cmaj7 (C E G B)

Note: I really didn’t have to do anything with the Cmaj7 chord because it already shared the same ending as G7. Notice that the “G” and “B” from the end of the G7 chord already match the “G” and “B” from the Cmaj7 chord.

So which progression do you prefer better?

The old way:

Dmin7 (D F A C)

G7 (G B D F)

Cmaj7 (C E G B)

Or the new way:

Dmin7 (D F A C)

G7 (D F G B)

Cmaj7 (C E G B)

I think the new way is much smoother, if you ask me!

One reminder:

Sometimes the melody permits you to play various voicings of a chord. However, if you are not following the melody, then inverting will allow you a much more smoother accompaniment.

Let’s take it a step further:

Dmin9

G9

Cmaj9

Dmin9 D (left hand) / F A C E (right hand)

G9 G / B D F A

Cmaj9 C / E G B D

Step one: Determine if you want to keep the first chord the same or convert it to match up with the second or third chord. In this case, we’ll just keep the Dmin9 the same (in root position) and base the 2nd and 3rd chords on it!

Step two: Find the common notes between G9 and Dmin9 in your right hand (keeping the left hand stable).

Answer: They both have the notes: F A

Step three: Keep the common notes in place. All other notes that are not common will move either up or down to their respective places.

The new G9 chord is:

G (left) / F A B D

(Remember, we didn’t move the D F from the first part of the previous chord. We just changed the “C” and “E” to “B” and “D,” thus making the new chord a G7.

So our new progression is:

Dmin9 (D / F A C E)

G9 (G / F A B D)

Cmaj9 (C / E G B D) — no need to move this chord

Notice how easier it is to transition between these chords when the middle chord is inverted.

Let’s take it another step further:

Dmin11

G11

Cmaj11

Dmin11 (D / F A C E G)

G11 (G / B D F A C)

Cmaj11 (C / E G B D F)

How would you invert these chords (there are many different answers depending on which chord you choose to keep the same and which chord you choose to invert). Feel free to let me know on my message board at http://www.hearandplay.com/board

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First, let’s start with the basics.

As stated above, an “inversion” is simply another way to play the same chord.

…So when someone says “invert” that chord, they are basically saying to apply some changes to the chord so that it’s played differently.

Now the rule behind inverting a chord is this:

“The number of notes in a chord determines how many inversions exists for that chord”

In other words, “the number of notes in a chord is equal to how many different ways you can play the chord.”

So if you are playing a 3-note chord, C major (C+E+G), there would be three total ways to play the chord — and since you’re using one of those ways to play “C E G,” that leaves two more to go!

So let’s talk about the different types of inversions:

Root position: This is when the keynote (name of the chord) is the LOWEST NOTE.

Let’s analyze this inversion really quickly.

In C major, the keynote is C. Remember, the keynote is simply the name of the chord. So a C major chord in root position always has C as it’s lowest note:

C E G

For those who don’t know how to form major chords, I invite you to visit http://www.hearandplay.com/course or check out my free online lessons at http://www.hearandplay.com/lessons.

Recall that you can form ANY major chord by simply taking the [1st], [3rd], and [5th] tones of any major scale.

In other words, if you know all twelve major scales, then you know all 12 major chords. In fact, you know all 12 minor chords… dominant chords… major seventh chords, and more (…because all of these chords come from major scales).

“C E G” is basically the first, third, and fifth tone of the C major scale.

C major scale = C D E F G A B C

C is 1

E is 3

G is 5

1+3+5 = major chord

Now that you understand how the numbers work, I can move on to the other two inversions:

First inversion: This is when the third is the LOWEST NOTE.

In the C major scale, what is the third tone?

Answer: E

The C major chord is said to be in first inversion when the third tone (or E) is the lowest note:

E G C

Notice that we basically took the keynote from the bottom (C E G) and put it on the top ( E G C). So when someone tells you to invert this chord up, that’s would you’d do. Take the C from the bottom (root position) and move it to the top, thus creating the first inversion.

Second inversion: This is when the fifth is the LOWEST NOTE.

As you already know, the fifth of C major is G.

C major in second inversion is: G + C + E

Notice here, we just took the “E” first inversion ( E + G + C) and moved it to the top (G + C + E). This also leaves the keynote right smack in the middle.

Recap:

Root position: C E G (keynote on bottom)

First inversion: E G C (third on bottom)

Second inversion: G C E (fifth on bottom)

Quick Exercise

1) F major

F major scale: F G A Bb C D E F

F major (root position) = _______________

F major (first inversion) = _______________

F major (second inversion) = _______________

2) Bb major

Bb major scale: Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Bb major (root position) = _______________

Bb major (first inversion) = _______________

Bb major (second inversion) = _______________

3) G major

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

G major (root position) = _______________

G major (first inversion) = _______________

G major (second inversion) = _______________

Answers:

1) F major

Root: F A C

First: A C F

Second: C F A

2) Bb major

Root: Bb D F

First: D F Bb

Second: F Bb D

3) G major

Root: G B D

First: B D G

Second: D G B

Moving on…

Remember my inversion rule from above?

“The number of notes in a chord determines how many inversions exists for that chord”

Since we’ve only been dealing with triads (3-note chords), there have only been three total inversions.

However, when you start playing with sevenths (4-note chords), ninths (5-note chords), elevenths (6-note chords), and others, the number of inversions increase accordingly.

# of notes	Type of chord
Three	Triad
Four	Seventh
Five	Ninth
Six	Elevenths
Seven	Thirteenths

If you have the 300pg course, you’ll find more information about this on page 50.

Here’s a break down of the inversions that exist in larger chords:

Seventh chords (4-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion [More info]

Ninth chords (5-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion, fourth inversion [More info]

Eleventh chords (6-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion, fourth inversion, fifth inversion [More info]

Thirteenth chords (7-notes):

Root position, first inversion, second inversion, third inversion, fourth inversion, fifth inversion, sixth inversion [More info]

Effectively using inversions in chord progressions Part 1

Chord progressions are simply the movement of one chord to another.

Progressions generally move in fourth and fifth intervals. When you really do a study of fourth and fifth intervals, you’ll find that they are really inverses of each other. In other words, to go “up” a fourth produces a similar sound as going “down” a fifth (though one is a higher chord than the other).

Take a look at the C major scale

C D E F G A B C

Going up a fourth just means going up four notes in the scale.

C 1

D 2

E 3

F 4

So moving from a chord based on “C” up to a chord based on “F” is known as moving up a fourth.

Let’s look at the scale again (but this time, 2 octaves):

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

Going down a fourth just means going down four notes in the scale (starting from middle C).

C is 1

B is 2

A is 3

G is 4

So moving from a chord based on “C” down to a chord based on “G” is known as moving down a fourth.

You can also reverse the directions of both of these examples:

Moving up a fifth:

C is 1

D is 2

E is 3

F is 4

G is 5

A chord based on “C” moving up to a chord based on “G” is known as moving up a fifth.

Moving down a fifth:

C is 1

B is 2

A is 3

G is 4

F is 5

…So “C” down to “F” is a fifth.

That’s why I said “fourths” and “fifths” are actually closer than you think, depending on whether you’re going up a fourth/fifth interval, or going down.

Let’s analyze the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones of a scale.

These are known as PRIMARY CHORDS.

Out of all the triads of the major scale, they are the only major chords. When looking at the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th tones of a major scale, you’ll find that they are not associated with major chords but with minor chords (2, 3, and 6 tones) and diminished (7 tone) chords.

So indeed, there is something special about the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones of a scale. In fact, you’ll find that majority of songs move between the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones in one way or another. In fact, I can’t think of many songs where I wouldn’t play the 1st, 4th, or 5th tone. That’s how popular these chord movements are.

(…Now I’m not saying you’re only going to play 3-note major chords on them — there are certainly more variations, extensions, and alterations that can be made to the 1st, 4th, and 5th tone. You can find them in my 300-pg course).

Primary chords:

C major chord: C E G

F major chord: F A C

G major chord: G B D

Using inversions, you can actually connect these chords together very smoothly without having to lift your fingers. Instead, you can “slide” into each chord from the last one.

Note: If you’re following the melody, it may be necessary to lift your fingers at times. However, if you are playing the organ, playing in a band, or accompanying a singer, you may find it more helpful to use inversions to connect chords together easier.

Say you wanted to play this progression:

C major — F major — G major — F major — C major

How could you connect all these chords together without lifting your fingers?

Answer: Using the closest inversion from whatever chord you’re currently playing.

Example:

If you were playing C major in root position (C E G) and you wanted to progress up a fourth to F major, the closest inversion wouldn’t be (F A C).

Look how far you’re moving: [ C E G ] all the way up to [ F A C ]

Solution:

Find a closer inversion of F major. Ask yourself this one question: “Are there any COMMON NOTES between the C major and F major chords?

Answer: YES, the “C”

Key trick: When moving in fourths and fifths, there will always be a common note between the chords (unless you are leaving out certain notes).

C major: C E G

F major: F A C

In this example, “C” is the common note. The bigger your chords get, the more common notes:

C major 7: C E G B

F major 7: F A C E

Now the common notes are C and E

Bigger chord:

C major 9: C E G B D

F major 9: F A C E G

Now the common notes are C, E and G.

So instead of lifting fingers, keep your common notes in place and find out where you have to move the other notes (usually right next door) to create the next chord in the progression.

Example:

C major to F major

Root positions:

C major: C E G

F major: F A C

Common note: C

1) Keep C in place after playing the C major chord

2) Since C is permanent, what do you do with the G? Move it up to A

3) What do you do with E? Move it up to F.

4) New chord: C F A (F major, second inversion)

Another Example:

Cmaj7 to Fmaj7

Root positions:

Cmaj7: C E G B

Fmaj7: F A C E

Common notes: C and E

1) Keep C and E in place after playing the Cmaj7 chord

2) Since C and E are permanent (common notes), move B down to A.

3) Move G down to F.

4) Now that you’ve taken care of the non-common notes (”B down to A” and “G down to F”), you have a new chord: F major 7 / second inversion (C E F A).

Here’s the key rules (if moving up in fourths, like most songs):

==> If you’re playing in root position (major / minor), you can transition smoothest to the second inversion of the next chord.

Example: C E G to C F A or C E G B to C E F A

==> If you’re playing in first inversion, you can transition smoothest to the root position of the next chord.

Example: E G C to F A C

==> If you’re playing in second inversion, you can transition smoothest to the first inversion of the next chord.

Example: G C E to A C F

Recap:

Root to Second

Second to First

First to Root

Root >>> Second >>> First >>> Root

This even works for bigger chord progressions (for my experienced people):

Bbmin9 (Ab C Db F over Bb bass)

Ebmin9 (Gb Bb Db F over Eb bass)

What did we do? We moved up a fourth.

Common notes? Db, F

Did we lift those fingers? No

Smooth sound? Yes!

We’ll continue this study of inversions and smooth transitioning in the next issue!

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