Piano chord inversions

Updated September 27, 2026

A piano chord inversion changes which chord tone is lowest. C major still uses C, E and G, but you can put E or G below the other notes. The chord keeps its identity while the shape and bass sound change. Inversions are useful when a root-position chord would force your whole hand to jump farther than necessary.

Start the exercise above to play four groups: C E G, E G C, G C E, then C E G again. Each group is checked one note at a time. After finding the notes, try playing each shape together on a real keyboard, or hear it using the C major chord finder. Completion of the exercise means you found the notes, not that the shapes sounded together or used a particular fingering.

Root position: C is lowest

Start with C4, E4 and G4. C is both the root and the bass note, so this is root position. The chord intervals lesson explains the major third from C to E and perfect fifth from C to G.

Listen once, then name the notes from bottom to top. Keep this initial shape in mind as you move one pitch at a time. You do not need to change the chord's letters or add a black key to make an inversion.

First inversion: E is lowest

Move the bottom C up one octave to C5. E4 and G4 stay where they were. Read from low to high: E G C. E, the chord's third, is now the bass. This is first inversion, sometimes written C/E when a chord symbol specifies E underneath.

Do not rename the chord just because E is lowest. Its notes are still C, E and G. E minor would need B instead of C. Finding the three chord tones first is a useful way to check a shape whose lowest note is unfamiliar.

Second inversion: G is lowest

From E4 G4 C5, move the bottom E up to E5. You now have G4 C5 E5. G is C major's fifth, so the chord is in second inversion, also written C/G when the bass is specified.

Moving the bottom G up again gives C5 E5 G5: root position an octave above where you began. A triad therefore has three positions altogether, but only two of them are inversions. The exercise returns to the original lower shape so you can compare the same register again.

Keep chord changes close

Try C major as C4 E4 G4, then F major as C4 F4 A4. The low C stays in place while E moves to F and G moves to A. F is in second inversion because its fifth, C, is underneath. From there, try G major as B3 D4 G4, then return to C4 E4 G4.

The chord progressions lesson walks through that exact sequence. On a real piano, find each new shape before adding a steady count. You can practice only the transition from one shape to the next several times, instead of restarting all four whenever a change is awkward.

Inversion is about the lowest sounding note

These exercises use close, three-note shapes with one hand. Music can spread chord tones across both hands and double a note in another octave. In that setting, inspect the lowest sounding chord tone across the whole texture. A right-hand E G C shape over a lower C in the left hand has C in the bass, so the complete chord is in root position.

Use the progression generator to hear alternative positions and save a MIDI example. Choose shapes for the sound and movement you want; the nearest possible shape is a useful starting point, not a rule every piece must follow.

For the root, third and fifth definitions used here, see the open textbook chapter on inverted triads.