Fundamentals
19 Inversion and Figured Bass
Chelsey Hamm and Samuel Brady
Key Takeaways
- The bass voice of triadic harmonies, often simply called the “bass,” determines inversion.
- Inverted harmonies do not have the root in the bass. When the third appears in the bass, we say the chord is in first inversion, when the fifth appears in the bass we say the chord is in second inversion, and when the seventh appears in the bass we say the chord is in third inversion.
- In addition to chord symbols, musicians also use figured bass to indicate inversion. Each triad and seventh chord is indicated by unique figures, which are often abbreviated.
- Figured bass is not usually added to chord symbols; however, it is added to triadic shorthand notation.
- It is called realizing figured bass when musicians turn figured bass into chords, either on paper or in performance.
- Triads and seventh chords are identified according to their root, quality, and inversion. Inversion includes the appropriate figures if applicable.
- In order to denote chromatic alterations to notes, musicians put accidentals (♭, ♯, ♮) before the figure that is altered. Musicians also use slashes through a figure or a plus sign before a figure, in order to indicate raising the note by a half-step.
Triadic Inversion and Figures
Musicians often prioritize the note that is in the bass voice of triadic harmonies, often simply called the “bass,” which is the lowest part (or voice) of a composition, regardless of what instrument or voice type is singing or playing that lowest note. shows an A major triad with three different notes in the bass and chord symbols (above the staff):
An A major triad consists of three notes, the root (A), the third (C♯), and the fifth (E). When a triad is stacked in thirds (i.e. “snowperson form”), we say the triad is in root position. The bass note in root position is the root. Chords that do not have the root in the bass are said to be inverted, as summarized in :
[table id=69 /]
As seen in first inversion, and when the fifth appears in the bass we say the triad is in second inversion.
, when the third appears in the bass, we say the triad is inIt is important to note that the bass voice of the chord is NOT the same thing as the chord’s root. The root of an A major triad is always A, regardless of whether the triad is in root position, first inversion, or second inversion. However, the bass voice changes between these inversions, from A to C♯ to E, as seen in
and .You might think of first inversion triads as looking like a snowperson whose feet have been moved above their head, while a second inversion triad looks like a snow person whose head has been moved to where their feet would normally appear.
demonstrates this similarity:Sometimes musicians use chord symbols to indicate inversions, as seen in figured bass to indicate inversion. Figured bass uses Arabic numerals and some symbols which indicate intervals above the bass (NOT the root) note. These are then inter