4.2 Triads in Inversion

PROJECT 4.2 OVERVIEW

For this project, you are going to

create a 4 chord progression
record all chords using inversions
Create a drumbeat and bass line that follows our bass line rules (and includes at least one octave jump and one leading tone).

Playing Chords in Inversions

Now that we've got a basic handling of our diatonic chords, let's start exploring their inversions and how they can change the sound of your song.

Playing Chords in Inversions

Root Position Chords

To review, our root position chord is when we have the RH Thumb on the root note, the middle finger on the third, and the pinky finger on the fifth. The root of the chord is on the bottom of this chord shape.

Here is a root position C Major chord:

First Inversion Chord Shape

For all first inversion chords, your fingers will be placed as follows:

The thumb will play the third of the chord
The index finger will play the fifth of the chord (note: this is a "new" finger for our chords)
The pink finger will play the root of the chord.

Here's what a first inversion C Major chord looks like:

Second Inversion Chord Shape

The second inversion of a chord will be played as follows:

The thumb plays the fifth of the chord.
The middle finger plays the root of the chord.
The pinky finger plays the third of the chord.

Here's what a second inversion C Major chord looks like:

Why Inversions?

Inversion on our chords help with something called "voice leading." In short, voice leading is how individual notes move from one chord to the next. Often times chords will share some notes, or have notes that are neighbors of each other.

It may help to see some graphical examples:

Example 1 - I-IV-V-I in Root Position

Here is a I-IV-V-I (C-F-G-C) progression played with all root position chords. The yellow notes are the C major chords, the green is the F major chord, and the red are the G major chord:

Example 1 - I-IV-V-I in Inversions

Compare that to the same chords, but played in inversions:

What's going on in this picture?

The C chords are both played in root position.
The F chord is played in second inversion.
The G Chord is played in first inversion.

You can see that the transitions between chords is smoother than the first example. You can even hear the difference between the two:

1451 inversions.mp3

I-IV-V-I in inversions

1451 root.mp3

I-IV-V-I in root position

It's important to remember that your voicing of chords (whether you are using root position or the various inversions) will affect how your music sounds. One method is not inherently better than the other, but most composers and songwriters will aim for smooth voice leading in their music.

Inverting Chords To Create Smooth Voice Leading

When going from chord to chord, there are a few guidelines you can follow to help guide your decisions about inversions:

Step 1 - Look for common tones between the two chords
- - Common tones are the notes that are the same.
Step 2 - If there are no common tones, look for neighbor tones between the two chords
- - Neighbor tones are the notes directly beside a pitch in either direction
Step 3 - Try to avoid having two of the same chord shapes in a row!
- - Chord shapes refer to the inversions your are using, and the hand positions you use to play a particular chord.
  - In other words, don’t play everything in root position…

Watch this video for more information on how to determine the best inversions for your chord progression:

chord inversion movie.mov

PROJECT 4.2

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CHORD ORGANIZER

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE 4.2 ORGANIZER

For project 4.2, I'm going to ask you to explore some chord inversions for your project. Here's the process:

Create a four-chord progression using the Chord Progression Organizer. Remember to start or end on stable chord.
1. On the Chord Progression Organizer, fill in the chord names in the bottom of the chart.
Use the 4.2 Chord Organizer to create the full project:
1. Transfer your chords from the Chord Progression Organizer to the worksheet.
2. Write a drum groove.
3. Write out your bass lines according to the root of each chord. Remember to include one octave leap and one leading tone.
4. Record your chords. You will be playing the chord for the entire measure.
  1. If you're having difficulty switching chords because of the inversions, feel free to record them as separate regions.
5. Save your project as 4.2 LASTNAME and upload to Schoology.

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