Chord inversion finder
Choose a root and a chord type. The finder spells the chord correctly and lists the root position and each inversion: which note is in the bass, the order of the notes upward, the slash chord symbol such as C7/E and the figured-bass figures used in harmony classes.
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How to use
- Choose the root of the chord, with sharps or flats as the key needs.
- Choose the chord type, from triads to ninth chords.
- Read the chord symbol, its notes and its formula, then each position: the slash chord, the notes from the bass up and the figured bass.
How it works
The notes are spelled from the chord formula, so each degree gets its own letter: the third of E major is G♯, not A♭. The k-th inversion takes the k lowest notes and moves them up an octave, so the k-th chord tone becomes the bass. The figured bass lists the intervals above the bass by letter steps, largest first, and the usual short names are shown for triads and seventh chords: 5/3, 6, 6/4, 7, 6/5, 4/3 and 4/2.
Example
C7, the dominant seventh on C, is C E G B♭ (formula 1 3 5 ♭7):
- root position: C7, C – E – G – B♭, figured 7 (7/5/3);
- first inversion: C7/E, E – G – B♭ – C, figured 6/5;
- second inversion: C7/G, G – B♭ – C – E, figured 4/3;
- third inversion: C7/B♭, B♭ – C – E – G, figured 4/2.
Tips
- On guitar, inversions with the third or seventh in the bass give smooth walking bass lines; the chord finder on this site draws shapes for each chord.
- The order of the upper notes can change freely without changing the inversion: only the lowest note counts.
- C6 and Am7 share the same notes, so an inversion of one can be read as the other; the bass and the context decide the name.
Frequently asked questions
What is a chord inversion?
A chord is inverted when a note other than the root is in the bass. In first inversion the third is lowest (C/E: E G C), in second inversion the fifth (C/G: G C E), and a seventh chord has a third inversion with the seventh in the bass (C7/B♭).
What do the figured-bass numbers mean?
They are the intervals above the bass note, counted by letter names. A root-position triad is 5/3, first inversion 6/3 (written 6), second inversion 6/4. Seventh chords are 7, 6/5, 4/3 and 4/2 (often just 2). The finder shows the short form and, in brackets, every interval.
How do I write an inversion as a chord symbol?
With a slash: the chord name, a slash and the bass note. C major with E in the bass is C/E, G7 with B in the bass is G7/B. The finder writes the bass with the correct spelling, so the first inversion of D♭ minor is D♭m/F♭, not D♭m/E.
Why use inversions at all?
They let the bass move by step instead of leaping, smooth out the way chords connect and change the weight of a chord: second-inversion triads, for example, sound unstable and often lead to a cadence.