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Inversions of Chords

Chord Inversions ▪Up to now, we have been notating all chords with the root as the lowest tone. ▪However, in a musical context, any part of a chord might appear as the lowest tone

Chord Inversions ▪There are three possible bass positions of a triad ▪The bass position that we have been using is called ROOT position, because the root on the bottom ▪The second chord in the example is NOT called “Third position” nor is the last one called “fifth position”

Chord Inversions Root Position 1 st Inversion 2 nd Inversion The term inversion is used to mean the transfer of the lowest note to some higher octave.

Chord Inversions ▪The inversion is determined by what note is in the BASS (the lowest voice.) All of the F chords below are in first inversion because an A is the lowest note ▪The upper notes can be spaced in any way. Any of the notes can be duplicated (or “doubled”) in different octaves.

Chord Inversions – Seventh Chords ▪The inversion of seventh chords works just like the inversion of triads, except that 3 inversions are possible Root Position 1 st Inversion2 nd Inversion 3 rd Inversion

Chord Inversions ▪REMEMBER the inversion of a triad or seventh chord is determined only by what member of the chord is in the BASS ▪Any chord members may appear in the soprano or in the other voices without changing the inversion

Chord Inversions - Practice ▪Just tell me the INVERSION – Root position – 1 st Inversion – 2 nd Inversion – 3 rd Inversion (Seventh Chords Only) –

Inversion Symbols

▪In analyzing music, we often use numbers to indicate the bass positions of chords. ▪Instead of using 1 for first inversion, 2 for second inversion, and so on, we use numbers derived from the Baroque system called FIGURED BASS – During the Baroque period ( ), the keyboard player in an ensemble read from a part consisting of a bass line and symbols that indicated what chord to play

Inversion Symbols ▪The symbols consist of numbers representing intervals above the bass that are formed by the members of the chord (the notes can be played in ANY OCTAVE) Complete Figured Bass Symbol: Short Hand: 6 6 4

Inversion Symbols Complete Figured Bass Symbol: Short Hand:

Chord Inversions - Practice ▪Just tell me the INVERSION SYMBOL –

Chord Inversions - Practice ▪Tell me the INVERSION SYMBOL & THE CHORD TYPE –

Assignment ▪Exercise 3-3 – Due WEDNESDAY (no school tomorrow)