The short guide
Understand the idea
A chord inversion changes which chord tone is lowest. The root still names the chord; the bass is its lowest sounding note. Moving notes by octaves can change the bass, the spacing or the register while keeping the same chord tones.
What you can explore
- Lift a real chord note by twelve semitones without changing its pitch class.
- Identify root position, first inversion and second inversion from the actual bass.
- Explore a wider voicing and move the whole chord to another octave.
A worked example
C stays C when E becomes the bass
Start with C4 + E4 + G4, all sounding together. Lift C4 one octave to C5. The sorted notes are now E4 + G4 + C5: E is the bass, so this is C major in first inversion, written C/E. Lift the lowest note twice more and the notes become C5 + E5 + G5. That is root position one octave higher, not a return to the original register.
- Root position
- Root in the bass: C4 + E4 + G4.
- First inversion
- Third in the bass: E4 + G4 + C5.
- Second inversion
- Fifth in the bass: G4 + C5 + E5.
Bass and root are different jobs
The root is part of a chord’s identity. The bass tells you which pitch is lowest in the voicing. C major contains C, E and G regardless of their octave positions. A slash symbol such as C/E names the chord first and its bass after the slash.
This workshop uses only three-note triads, with one of each chord tone. It can label their inversions exactly from the lowest note. Larger chords, doubled notes and a separate bass instrument need more context than this little toy provides.
Spacing is a separate experiment
Lift the middle E4 in C4 + E4 + G4 to E5. The result is C4 + G4 + E5: a wider voicing, still in root position because C remains lowest. Moving every note by an octave changes the register without changing the inversion.
Each move has a visible pitch limit and never wraps around. A disabled move leaves your notes intact. Use Undo last change to reverse your actual edit; lowering whichever note is now highest is not always the opposite of lifting the middle note.
Common questions
Does an inversion change the chord?
The same triad tones keep the chord’s identity, but their positions change its voicing. This lesson does not claim every voicing feels or works the same in a track.
Is the top note the inversion?
No. For these triads, the lowest note determines the inversion. The highest note and the gaps between notes describe other aspects of the voicing.
Can I use quiet mode?
Yes. The diagram, bass label and recipe show the actual pitches and octaves. No hearing test or particular inversion is required to finish.
Published by TunePal. Interactive examples for beginner music producers.