Lesson Objectives

Introduce the concept of inversions and use practically to develop economy of movement.
Develop left hand triads through the use of inversions.
Introduce and begin to play chord progressions.

Inversions

In Lesson 1 of the course we learned about triads – three notes played together to form a chord or separately as an arpeggio.

So far we have played triads in root position. This means that the root note of the chord is positioned at the base, or bottom, of the chord. This can result in a lot of movement for the left hand when it is playing chords.

In reality, it is often possible to play the three notes of a triad in a different order, without the root note of the chord being at the bottom. This results in less work and more economical movement for the left hand. Essentially, the hand stays in the same basic position and the fingers do the work.

Next: Changing chords 1