How Chord Inversions make you look like a Pro...Pro...Pro

[Jimmy James]

I've learned a lot of {censored} and forgotten alot of {censored} but the one thing that has always been THE MOST valuable and stuck to my ribs is learning chord inversions from the same family up and down the neck.

 

Minor, Major, Dominate, etc. If you can learn the 1st, 2nd and 3rd inversions and so on up and down the neck, you will truly be a BAD MOTHER {censored}ER. Or atleast make lesser players think you have all kinds of cool chord theory under your belt. In reality it's just a little thing. A tool in your tool belt.

 

Why? Because each of those inversions falls into so many different musical situations and styles. Yeah, there's jazzy voicings, bluesy vociings and rocky voicings but basic inversions will always come to your rescue. You'll never be at a loss in a music situation unless of course you were playing with John McLaughin or somebody. I'm talking about normal playing situations for us mortals.

 

I'm gonna a throw out a few but you have get on it, do some research and sit your ass down and make these inversions your personal life choice.

 

Play this shape instead of your garden variety barred A7 Chord:

 

9

8

9

7

X

X

 

So simple but it's used every {censored}in' where in blues, rock, country, and jazz. This one little trick is going to allow you to play that muted funky "I" chord during the verses in Prince's "Kiss." You can use whatever inversion you want but this is what I use. Alot of people use 9ths but it doesn't sound as good to me.

 

If you chop off the root you can think of this as the shape for the intro to "Red House." Best of all it sounds great when you're playing with a luddite guitar player who only knows bar chords. When he's playing generic shuffle patterns, throw this on top and think like a horn player. You can slide into it from above or below and make up a horn part. The other guitar player will look at you and think to himself, "Cool. I don't know what the hell that is, but it sounds good." You're actually making him and the whole band sound good because you're not doubling his parts or anyone elses. You're playing like a band!

 

NEVER play the same thing the other guitar player is playing. Think counter point or like Tower of Power or something and come up with a groovy horn line that fills out the sound. Make it work.

 

That chord shape is also the beginning guitar part (Horn line really) of the Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," and the geezer classic "Shotgun." Do a search and check out a recording of Hendrix doing this tune when he was a nobody in a New Jersey bar band using this voicing. It's very hip.

 

It just has that dominate earthiness that can also be used in a ton of stuff ala any Creedence tune for that swampy vibe. Make sure to move this shape everywhere. You want to be able to pull it out of your ass at a moments notice.

 

Here's the last voicing of the lesson. You can use this as your "V" chord in A. For you luddites it's a E7.

 

7

5

7

6

X

X

 

Kick on your wah and you get that tasty "V" chord in Prince's "Kiss," an open country ass sound in blues, and a great voicing for those Beatle tunes where they utilize 7th chords. "I Saw Her Standing There" and that kinda thing. You could even sit in with The Rolling Stones and not clash with their vibe-a-listic vibe.

 

More importantly when you understand basic blues concepts and how those chord progressions are constructed as well as the FORM, you can pretty much hang with anybody with this kind of inversion knowlege. You're a free man with a free mind. You'll never be Rita Redundant.

 

In my band I let my bass player groove in G minor and for varieties sake I won't solo but play all kinds of minor inversions up and down the neck using effects. It's a cool chord solo kinda thing that's more Andy Summers than Joe Pass. I'm into that kinda stuff.

 

I'm just scratching the surface but the idea is that when you get this down, you can jump into most musical situations and not only hang, but be an asset to the band. You'll be able to come up with chordal ideas to add to and support the band rather than being dead weight.

 

Memorize this and look like a Pro...Pro...Pro... Even if you really are in reality a mindless wanker.

[lazaraga]

the best practice i've ever done was learning all 7th chords in all inversions, in three groups- lowest note on low E A and D strings.
i recommend it!

peace

[brunog]

Right now I'm working on some exercises to take the chord changes of a song and play them using the inversions on different strings. top 3, then a-g, etc.

This is a good way to make this stuff stick.

[FamilyGuy]

This mindless wanker thanks you sir.

Peace

Peter

[buddastrat]

Guitar One's recent issue has a nice study on this sort of thing.

[UnderTheGroove]

Excellent thread!

One cool thing to do is to take a common 3 or 4 chord progression and start with the first chord at or near the open position. Always play the next chord in the progression by using whatever inversion is the closest shape above your current chord using the same set of strings. No matter what the progression, you will end up with an ascending guitar part. Of course you can reverse the idea by starting high and working your way low. Good times.

[Bajazz]

Play this shape instead of your garden variety barred A7 Chord: 9 8 9 7 X X

Try to replace the X's with 0...

 

A tricks for soloacts, lots of open strings

[marekk]

what's a "luddite" ?


what's an inversion too?


mark

[nylon rock]

I've always liked the chord as

X
8
9
7
X
9


Completely movable all over the neck, and full bodied.

Straight out of the Mel Bay Chord book from way, way back.

Then you lift those two nines up and move them to the high side together to make the chord you showed.

Weir used to use this all the time in Dancin' in the Streets, even during that section when the whole band would modulate down and up, and down and up, and down and up, until all hysteria was ready to break loose!

[UnderTheGroove]

Originally posted by marekk what's a "luddite" ? what's an inversion too? mark

A luddite: n 1: any opponent of technological progress [syn: Luddite] 2: one of the 19th century English workmen who destroyed labor-saving machinery that they thought would cause unemployment [syn: Luddite]

An inversion is when you play a chord with something other than the root note as the lowest note. If you play a major triad with the third as the lowest note you would be playing the first inversion. For example: The chord C major contains the notes C, E, and G. If you play a standard open position C chord, but eliminate the low C note being played by your ring finger, the E being played by your middle finger becomes the lowest note. That would be an inversion.

0
1
0
2
x
x

Go to this page on my website and listen to the Chord Voicings sample mp3 to hear inversions being used as I described in my earlier post: Jam Tracks Samples

[ottobahn]

Is a chord inversion just a different voicing?

Or are not all different voicings inversions?

To invert a chord, does it require that the root note be on something other than the lowest string of the chord?

[Forbidden]

Originally posted by ottobahn Is a chord inversion just a different voicing? Or are not all different voicings inversions? To invert a chord, does it require that the root note be on something other than the lowest string of the chord?

 

 

From my somewhat minimal understanding of it.

 

Say you have a chord which is made up by 1,3,5,7 I believe to get the first inversion it'd change to 3,5,7,1.

 

I'm probably wrong.

[Scott E.]

Forbidden:

Don't sell yourself short Bro... you're absolutely right!


That means you possess the early indicators of understanding music -- theory and composition.

Learning this stuff is important, so I'd encourage anyone with the ability, to spend a little time with Bach; then examine how more modern acts adhered to, or broke with the rules that provide the foundation for music.

Understanding what's going on musically won't stunt or cramp your creativity. That's just the excuse lazy people use to not study.

If it's "too boring," you're in the wrong business... or find a teacher who makes it less painful...

For those of you who aren't Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney, learning the basics is a MUST.

A year or two or three of theory will absolutely, positively pay dividends. If you can't see how, take my word for it... and down the road, you'll be glad you did.

Get cracking, and do what you can to make yourself better -- EVERYDAY!!!

[jazzbo]

Originally posted by Forbidden From my somewhat minimal understanding of it. Say you have a chord which is made up by 1,3,5,7 I believe to get the first inversion it'd change to 3,5,7,1. I'm probably wrong.

 

 

You are right.

 

1st inversion has the 3rd in the bass, 2nd inversion has the 5th in the bass, 3rd inversion has the 7th in the bass.

 

The order of the other notes above that doesn't matter.

[Jimmy James]

Originally posted by nylon rock I've always liked the chord as X 8 9 7 X 9 Completely movable all over the neck, and full bodied. Straight out of the Mel Bay Chord book from way, way back. Then you lift those two nines up and move them to the high side together to make the chord you showed. Weir used to use this all the time in Dancin' in the Streets, even during that section when the whole band would modulate down and up, and down and up, and down and up, until all hysteria was ready to break loose!

Very cool moving that high note down an octave. You can do that with all the inversions or leave out a note or two for the funky stuff.

You don't need the bass note if your bass player is holding down the bottom. But that grip would still be cool anyway.