Piano chord inversions chart: major, minor and sevenths

Read a chord from the bass upward

A chord inversion tells you which chord member is lowest. In a triad, the root in the bass means root position, the third means first inversion, and the fifth means second inversion. The root still names the chord when another member is lowest. This distinction matters when you are reading a slash symbol or comparing a piano shape with a bass part.

The tables show pitch-class order for compact voicings. They do not prescribe finger numbers, hand spans or a particular octave. To make an ascending example, raise any note that would otherwise fall below the preceding note. C–E–G can become E4–G4–C5; writing E4–G4–C4 would put C back underneath the chord.

Major triad inversions in 12 keys

Each row keeps one root and one major-triad quality. Read across to change the bass without changing those identities. Spellings follow the existing major-chord references: D-flat and F-sharp, for example, serve different written keys even when another spelling could use the same piano keys.

Minor triad inversions in 12 keys

A minor triad lowers the third relative to the parallel major triad. Inverting it does not turn it into a major chord. Compare C minor in root position with its first inversion: E-flat becomes the bass, while C remains the root. Use the separate minor spellings below rather than changing every sharp to a flat indiscriminately.

A seventh chord has a third inversion

A four-note seventh chord adds a position with its seventh in the bass. Cmaj7 and C7 share the notes C, E and G, but their sevenths differ. The table gives octave-specific examples so that you can check both the chord quality and the lowest sounding pitch. These are close voicings; other spacings can keep the same inversion.

Read slash chords without changing the root

C/E means a C-major chord with E in the bass. C/G places G underneath it. A slash bass can also be a note outside the chord: C/D does not describe one of the three ordinary C-major triad inversions. Check the actual lowest note rather than assuming every slash symbol is a first inversion.

In a full ensemble, include the separate bass instrument in that check. A right hand playing E–G–C above a lower C bass produces a root-position C chord overall. The right-hand shape alone cannot tell you the inversion of the complete texture.

Hear, save and print one comparison

Open the chord finder and choose a root and quality from either table. Keep the volume and octave steady while you move between inversions, then use Arpeggiate to hear the notes separately. Copy link to this chord preserves the selected root, quality, octave and inversion; it does not include private collection names or stored practice data.

For a paper reference, export a chord and choose the inversion worksheet. It includes all available inversions on A4 or Letter paper. Check the downloaded PDF before printing. Keep a JSON copy as well if you want to edit the practice selection later.

1. Choose C major at octave 4 and listen in root position.
2. Select first inversion and check E4 · G4 · C5.
3. Select second inversion and check G4 · C5 · E5.
4. Copy the chord link or export the inversion worksheet.