How To Make Playing Chord Progressions EASIER With Chord Inversions

Welcome. And today we’re going to dive into a game-changing technique that’s going to level up your piano-playing skills. We’re going to talk about chord inversions and how they’re going to make playing your chord progressions much easier, and not only that, it’s going to make them sound a lot better. So, if you’re ready to take your piano game to the next level, let’s get started.

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All right, let’s get started on these chord inversions. First off, if you know nothing about chords, I highly recommend watching this video. Then, you’re going to be up to speed. All right, let’s get to understanding what chord inversions even are. With chord inversions, we are simply changing the order of the chord. I’ll show you what I mean. For example, the C major chord is always going to be the notes, C, E, G, but it can still be C, E, G, even if I put it out of order. So, let’s say I put E, G, C. That is still C major because it’s C, E, G. It’s just in a different order. Or if I put G here and C and E up here, it’s still C major even though it’s not in its regular order. So, inversions are simply different ways of playing the same chord. Because no matter what, C, E, G is always C major no matter what order it’s in.

On the piano we have different types of chord inversions with special names so that you know exactly which type of chord inversion you are playing. Let’s go over all of those different types of chord inversions now.

First, we have a root position chord. In a root position chord, the root note, the note from which the chord gets its name, is at the bottom of the chord. This is the most basic form of a chord. For example, C major is C, E, G. If C is at the bottom, it’s in root position.
Then, we have a first inversion chord. And this inversion, the root note is moved up an octave so C is going up here, and the third or the middle note of the chord is at the bottom. So, it looks like this. I move from here to C is coming up here, and E and G are going to stay there. You’d play it like this. Basically, the middle note of the chord is at the bottom. For C major, that’s going to be the note E.

All right, now let’s dive into what we call second inversion. In a second inversion chord, both the root note and the third, the middle note, are moved up in octave, and the fifth or the last note in the chord becomes the lowest note. Basically, the fifth is the lowest note. In C major, the fifth is G, and a second inversion would be played like this. For reference, here’s root. The second inversion chord has the fifth at the bottom, and the other two notes come up here. Let’s review. We’ve got root, first, second; root, first, second.

Before I show you how to use chord inversions to help with your chord progressions, let me know in the comments what is the hardest part about playing your chord progressions. Let me know.

Now, why would we use chord inversions? Doesn’t it hurt your brain and make it harder? Yes, that can be true. I’m just going to be honest. Sometimes people’s brains explode when they start chord inversions. I would say it hurts your brain a little bit more, but it’s going to make it easier for your hands. Chord inversions help you transition between chords a lot more smoothly. If you only play root position chords, sometimes you’re going to have to move your hands long distances. But with chord inversions, you can stay in the same place, and it makes it a lot smoother and easier for your hands. We don’t want any of these awkward pauses between our chords.

Let me show you what I do to play chord inversions with my songs. I’m going to play the chord progression of Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones, and I’m going to do it only in root position chords. If I only use root position chords, I’m having to jump up a bit to get to C major. I’m going to have to move again to get to D Major, not too much. But then, when I get to G Major from D major, it’s quite a jump, like this.
So, I’m going to show you how to use chord inversions to make that easier. All right, so let’s take a look at the chord progression. We’ve got A minor first. We’re going to think about what notes are in the A minor chord. We’ve got A, C, E. And then, the next chord in the song is C major. What you’re going to do is you’re going to think, “What notes does A minor and C major share?” Again, A minor is A, C, E, and C major is C, E, G. They share C and E. So now, I’m going to be like, “Ah, I could just go like this,” and all I had to do was move my thumb down. Here it is, A minor, C major.

The next chord is D major. C major and D major don’t share any notes, but I’m still going to use an inversion here. Because if I use an inversion with D major, I can just move up like this. But if I didn’t use an inversion, I would have to go and make a huge jump. Okay, so thinking about what notes are shared between the two chords and what notes are close to you, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to go from C major to D major like this.

The next chord is G major. G major and D major only share the note D. So, what I’m going to do is I’m going to go from D major to G major like this. The rest of the chords are going to be stepping down. I’m not going to use inversions because they’re so close together. I’m going to go G, F, E.
To play chord inversions well in your chord progressions, this is what you’re going to think. To review, we’re going to think about what notes your current chord has, what notes the next chord has, and then think about what notes they share. And think about what notes can be the closest to you in the next chord if none of the notes are the same.

All right, it’s going to be hard at first mentally, but it is easier for your hands. So, you have to know your chords really well.
All right, if all of this sounds really cool but you feel like you need a little more help on how to learn the piano fast, I highly recommend watching my free training. In this training, I show you the exact roadmap that I take my students on that helps them go from zero to playing their favorite songs in months, not years. The link is in the description below. And before we head out, be sure to like and subscribe, because I post new videos every week. And I will see you next time.