Chord inversions on the piano

An inversion is the same chord with a different note at the bottom. Take C E G and move the C up an octave: E G C is still a C chord, in first inversion. Move the E up as well: G C E, the second inversion. Same notes, a new shape and a new bass, and often a much shorter move from the chord before.

Move the lowest note up an octave

Take a C chord in its usual shape: C, E, G, with C at the bottom. This is root position: the root, the note that names the chord, is the lowest one. Now lift that C an octave, to the top. The keys are now E, G, C. They are the same three notes, so it is still a C chord, but in a new shape: the first inversion.

Do it once more and lift the E: you get G, C, E, the second inversion. Lift the G too and you are back to root position, an octave higher. A three-note chord therefore has three positions. Follow the C, marked with a bar, as it moves.

Root, C
E and G
Playing now

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C E G: the root C is at the bottom.

The lowest note: the bass

What really changes from one position to the next is the lowest note, called the bass. It is the note the ear leans on. To many listeners, root position sounds the most settled; the first inversion, with the third underneath, sounds lighter; the second inversion, with the fifth underneath, sounds less stable, as if waiting for what comes next. These are tendencies: the left hand, the register and the chords around it count too.

A chord symbol can name the bass after a slash. C/E means a C chord with E in the bass, the first inversion; C/G means G in the bass, the second inversion. When there is no slash, the position is usually up to you.

Try it below. The keyboard starts on E G C. Add a G underneath, remove a note, move the lowest key: the name and the position update as you play.

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Notes pressed: E – G – C

Most likely name:C/E(C major)

E is the lowest note. The third is in the bass: first inversion.

C in the chord dictionary Open the full chord finder

Why inversions help: smaller moves

Inversions are more than a curiosity: they make chord changes easier. Take G, C, D and Em, four chords of G major. Played from their roots, they climb a little higher each time, then jump back down. Choose the nearest position for each one instead: the notes two chords share stay put, and the others only move to a nearby key.

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G/B
C
D/A
Em/B

B D G, C E G, A D F♯, B E G: G stays put from G to C, and B and G stay put from Em back to G.

Listen to the top note too: in the second version it stays around G instead of leaping. The guide on changing chords smoothly turns this into a method you can apply to any progression.

Recognise the position

To name a position, find the root first (the letter of the chord), then look at the lowest key. Root in the bass: root position. Third in the bass: first inversion. Fifth in the bass: second inversion. A quick visual clue on the white keys: in root position the three keys are evenly spaced; in an inversion, two of them are further apart, and the root sits on top of that gap.

Your turn

Which position is it?

Question 1 of 6

This is a C chord. Which position is it in? Look at the lowest key.

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In short

Lift the lowest note an octave: root position, first inversion, second inversion, the same three notes.
The position is named after the bass: root, third or fifth at the bottom. A slash shows it: C/E, C/G.
Choosing the nearest position keeps common notes in place and makes changes smaller.