In a previous issue we investigated triads. Hopefully you played through
all the examples and learned to recognize the 4 basic triad types --
major, minor, diminished, and augmented -- both with your eyes and with
your ears.
All these triads were in root position.
That is, the name of the chord was the bottom note, and they were stacked
up in 3rds. If you need to review triads in root position, this would be
an excellent time to do so.
Chords upside down are called "inversions". And that's what we
are going to do this issue -- get used to seeing chords upside down and
recognizing them. Lots of people recognize the C chord when it is in root
position (C on the bottom, E in the middle, and G on top), but when it is
turned upside down with E or G on the bottom, they get confused, and
aren't sure whether it is a C chord or an E chord or a G chord.
Let's suppose that your name is Mary. If I pick you up and stand
you on your head, will you suddenly become Sue? Of course not. You're
still Mary -- "Mary Upside-Down".
And it's exactly the same way
with chords. When you turn a C chord upside down, it is still a C chord no
matter which note is on the bottom -- C, G, or E.
-
When the root is on the bottom of a triad, it is in
root position.
-
When the 3rd is on the bottom of a triad, it is in
first inversion.
-
When the 5th is on the bottom of a triad, it is in
second inversion.
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