| | | Hey Friend,
Most of us start out learning open chords on guitar. These are the chords played down within the first three frets on the guitar neck.
We get good at E, C, D and A. We struggle a little with G and F, and even more with B (if we learn it at all). All within the confines of the first three (or four) frets.
SIDE NOTE: It still surprises me how I avoided needing (let alone learning) the B chord for the first few years of playing...
But there's a whole world of chords available to you above the fourth fret, and I thought we'd have a nice chat about that today.
My buddy Ian reminded me that these simple chords we know and love can be reconfigured and played in other areas, giving them multiple personalities and us sonic options.
We call these "chord reconfigurations" inversions. I know the last thing you want is another fancy word thrown at you, but inversions aren't really that hard to understand once you get past the name.
Basically, whenever you play a chord, the notes that make up the chord are laid out on the fingerboard in a particular order. In order for this to make some sense, you have to know where the chord notes come from.
Every chord you play is built using a scale. For simplicity's sake, the major scale is a great place to start.
Let's look at an example to build out - the C major chord.
The C major chord is constructed from specific notes in the C major scale. The notes for this scale are C D E F G A B and C. We can make a major chord by taking the first, third and fifth notes from the scale and playing all three together.
So in the case of the C major triad (another name for a three note chord), we will use C, E and G to make our chord.
Now that we know the three notes for the chord, what happens if we jumble the order in which these three notes are played? Anyone?
The chord still has the same three notes, and overall, it will still sound like a C major chord, but each variation will have a slightly different flavor to it due to the order of the notes. These variations are known as inversions - because we're inverting the note order.
When the notes are ordered like our C major chord example above, this is called the root inversion. The root note of the scale (aka the tonic) is the first note in the chord. Root inversion gives the chord a complete or finished sound.
When the note order is 3, 5, 1, this is known as the first inversion. With the C chord, the first inversion note order is E, G, C. With the three note as the lowest in the chord (the bass note), there is a natural emotional pull towards that root note C. So this version of the chord feels like you're not quite completing the chord, even though all the notes are there.
Next in line is the second inversion. The note order is 5, 1, 3. Most open chords we start off learning are second inversions - E major, A major, D major are good examples. In fact, most major barre chords you'll learn to play are second inversions. Because the fifth scale note is has very similar physical qualities to the root note of the scale, the second inversion has a fairly complete sound to it.
You can play around with these inversions pretty easily to get the hang of it. Again, the open C chord is an example of the root inversion. Play the C note on the fifth string, the E note on the fourth and the G on the third. Voila, a C major chord.
"But wait," you say. "I always put my index finger on the first fret of the second string and strum through. What about that note?"
You're absolutely right - that's a C note as well. So try this. Play the E note on the fourth string, the G note on the third and the C on the second. Now you've played the first inversion of C major.
And taking it one step further, without moving any of your fingers from the C chord shape, play only the G note on the third string, the C on the second and the E on the fist string. There you have it - the second inversion of the C major triad.
You only need to play three notes to make it a chord. There are three ways to play the same chord but give it three different vibes.
Here's a bonus shape for you. You can play the G note on the sixth string, the C on the fifth and the E on the fourth. Which inversion is that?
Here's a PDF you can download that shows these different inversions.
Where these get really fun is when you move these different inversions up the guitar neck to color the sonic quality differently. You just have to figure out where the notes are on the fingerboard and you can find any chord location. This will allow you to change how a chord works within a song.
For instance, if you change the inversion you use, you could help color the music in a way that really hits the desired emotion by matching the lyrics better. Additionally, when you can locate its position in the upper frets, you expand your chord palette even more.
Can you see now why I thought it would be a good topic to discuss? Hopefully that gives you a little better understanding of chords and how they work. There's tons more to learn, but inversions are a great tool you can use to make your playing more interesting. Keep on rockin'!
Peace~
Dave |
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