What does it mean when a chord is in first inversion?

What does it mean when a chord is in first inversion?

• A. The third of the triad is on the bottom
• B. The root of the triad is on the bottom
• C. The fifth of the triad is on the bottom
• D. The seventh of the triad is on the bottom

Answer: (A)

Inversions tell you which chord tone sits in the bass. For a triad, first inversion means the third of the triad is in the bass. Take a C major triad as an example: C–E–G. In root position, the bass is the root (C). In first inversion, the notes are rearranged to E–G–C with E in the lowest register. The chord still contains the same three notes, so its sound quality is unchanged, but the bass line moves so the third is the lowest note. That’s why the correct idea is that the third of the triad is on the bottom. If the bottom note were the root, that would be the root position. If the bottom were the fifth, that would be the second inversion. A seventh note in the bass isn’t part of a triad (that would be a seventh chord), so it doesn’t describe a triad’s inversion.

Inversions tell you which chord tone sits in the bass. For a triad, first inversion means the third of the triad is in the bass. Take a C major triad as an example: C–E–G. In root position, the bass is the root (C). In first inversion, the notes are rearranged to E–G–C with E in the lowest register. The chord still contains the same three notes, so its sound quality is unchanged, but the bass line moves so the third is the lowest note.

That’s why the correct idea is that the third of the triad is on the bottom. If the bottom note were the root, that would be the root position. If the bottom were the fifth, that would be the second inversion. A seventh note in the bass isn’t part of a triad (that would be a seventh chord), so it doesn’t describe a triad’s inversion.