22.1 · Inversions

Same chord, new shape

C major is C, E, and G, but C doesn't have to be on the bottom. Reshuffle the same three letters into any order and it's still C major: same chord, new shape. And a chord rolled one note at a time, an arpeggio, is still that chord, just unfolded.

One chord, three shapes

Listen for how the quality stays while the shape changes.

C E GC on the bottom: the textbook order.
E G CC hops up an octave; E takes the floor.
G C ENow G holds the bottom. Still C major.

Rolled or together

Played at once, the notes fuse into one sound. Rolled low to high, they sound one at a time. That's an arpeggio, and it's how Hallelujah and House of the Rising Sun play their chords.

Why players flip the shape

Walk I → IV → V → I with every chord in root position and the hand leaps around the keyboard. Give each chord its nearest shape instead and the same trip barely moves. Smooth connections like that are called voice leading, and they're what inversions are for.

Game · Flip the shape

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Build C major, root position: tap the bottom note, C (C4).

Same three letters every round; only the order changes.

Quiz

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E–G–C, low to high. What chord is that?

Score 100% on every quiz and game to complete this lesson. A perfect run sticks: a later miss never undoes it.Slash chords →