From the course: Beginning Blues Keyboard
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Triad inversions
From the course: Beginning Blues Keyboard
Triad inversions
- Before we play through our 12-bar progression, let's talk about triad inversions. In addition to playing a triad in what we call root position, one, three, five, we can also flip it over. We can put the third on the bottom, having then three, five, one. We call this first inversion. Or we can put the fifth on the bottom, having five, one, three. This is the second inversion. When we play chords in the blues, we want to be able to play them in any inversion. This allows us to create what we call good voice leading. Let me show you what I mean. To move from a C triad in root position, (arpeggio) to an F triad in root position involves a big jump. None of the notes or voices in the C chord can move slowly and melodically to the F chord because they're too far away. Now, look what happens if I take my C chord and put it in first inversion. I'm going to have E on the bottom, G, C. Now when I move to the F chord, I can put it in root position, F, A, C. And my top note has stayed the same,…
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