Inversions and voice leading

Open chords always put the root at the bottom. Moving a different note to the bottom gives an inversion, and using inversions lets each note in a progression move as little as possible. That is voice leading, and it makes a progression sound smooth.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Name root position and first inversion by their bass note.
• Play C major triads on the top three strings.
• Play a progression using the smallest movement between chords.

A chord's notes can appear in any order. In root position the root is the lowest note. In first inversion the third is lowest, and in second inversion the fifth is lowest. The chord is the same, but it sounds different.

A slash chord shows the bass note: C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.

Voice leading is the art of moving from chord to chord so each individual note moves as little as possible, often by a semitone or a tone, or not at all. It makes progressions flow.

Playing triads on the top three strings (G, B and e) makes this easy: the shapes are small, close together and can be moved around the neck.

For C major on the top three strings:

• Root position (C E G): frets 5, 5, 3.
• First inversion, C/E (E G C): frets 9, 8, 8.

For the progression C, F/C, G/B, C, the notes move as follows: C E G, then C F A, then B D G, then back to C E G. The C stays for the first two chords, E moves up a semitone to F, G moves up a tone to A: tiny motions.

The smooth progression.

1. Play C on the top three strings: 5, 5, 3.
2. Move to F/C: the first finger stays on fret 5 of the G string; move the second to the B string fret 6 and the third to the e string fret 5. Total movement: small.
3. Move to G/B: 4, 3, 3. All three notes move down by one or two frets.
4. Return to C: 5, 5, 3.

Now play the same progression with open chords (C, F, G, C). The shapes jump around the neck. The inversion version stays within frets 3 to 6.

Do these in order. Each one is small. Tick the ones you have practised.

• 1.Two shapes of C

  4 min

  1. Play C on the top three strings: 3rd string fret 5, 2nd string fret 5, 1st string fret 3 (C E G, root position).
  2. Play C/E on the same strings: frets 9, 8, 8 (E G C, first inversion).
  3. Name the bass note of each shape.

  You have it when

  • You can play both shapes cleanly and say which note is in the bass.
  I practised this one

• 2.Smooth progression

  5 min · 50 → 70 BPM

  1. Play C: frets 5, 5, 3 on the 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings.
  2. Play F with C in the bass: 5, 6, 5.
  3. Play G with B in the bass: 4, 3, 3.
  4. Return to C. Four beats each, then two beats.

  You have it when

  • You can play the progression with no large jumps, and it sounds smooth.
  I practised this one

• 3.Compare with open chords

  4 min

  1. Play C F G C with open chords, four beats each.
  2. Play the same progression with the top-string shapes.
  3. Listen to the difference in how the bass and the top notes move.

  You have it when

  • You can describe what is smoother about the inversion version.
  I practised this one

Start at 50 BPM. The shapes are small, but they need a light touch and accurate fretting. Increase to 70 BPM when they ring clearly.

• Picking all six strings in a top-strings shape. These shapes use only the top three strings. Pick only those.
• Thinking 'inversion' means a different chord. The chord is the same, with the same notes. Only the bass note changes.
• Moving all fingers at once in voice leading. Notice which notes stay put or move by a semitone. That is where the smoothness comes from.

Inversions are how pianists and arrangers make a progression flow. On guitar they are also how you play a progression in a high register without changing the sound of the chords.

Short version (10 minutes)

Play C, F/C, G/B, C on the top strings at 50 BPM for four minutes.

Standard version (about 30 minutes)

Do all three exercises, then try the same progression in G with open and inverted shapes (use the diagrams in the lesson as a model).

• Root position has the root in the bass; first inversion has the third.
• Slash chords like C/E show the bass note.
• Voice leading: each note moves as little as possible.
• Top-string triads make smooth chord changes.

You are ready to move on when you can honestly say:

• I can name root position and first inversion.
• I can play C, F/C and G/B on the top three strings.
• I can explain what makes a progression smooth.