Start with your first chord

Choose a question first

Start with one relationship you want to understand. Use the Chord Explorer for a chord’s notes and inversions, the Scale Explorer for an ordered collection, or Diatonic Chords for harmony built from a key. The tool directory describes the other options.

You can read a reference page before changing anything. Each music page names its notes and explains a specific comparison. Those written notes remain useful when sound is unavailable or when you prefer to work at an instrument.

Build your first comparison

Open the Chord Explorer, choose C as the root, select Major and use root position. Check C, E and G in the note list. The highlighted root is C; the lowest sounding note is also C in this position.

Select first inversion. The ascending example becomes E, G and C, with the final C raised into the next octave. C remains the root, while E becomes the bass. Root and bass labels describe different facts.

Start sound deliberately

Choose Play to hear the displayed example. Sound does not begin just because you open a page. Compare the block chord with the option that plays notes in sequence, and keep the volume comfortable.

Use Stop before making a new comparison if the current example is still sounding. If your browser blocks audio, the written notes and diagrams remain available; the playback guide explains the recovery steps.

Keep the example you want to revisit

Choose Save, give the collection a useful name and check the save status. My practice stores collections in this browser on this device. A name such as “C major inversions” is easier to recognize than “test”.

Download JSON when you want an editable backup you can import later. Choose SVG for a diagram and PDF for a practice sheet. The printable formats preserve a reference; they do not replace the editable collection file.

Move to one related question

After the inversion comparison, try changing C major to C minor. E changes to E-flat while C and G remain. Or keep the major scale and inspect its diatonic triads. Change one setting at a time so the result is easy to explain.

1. Read the selected root, quality or scale type.
2. Check the exact note spellings and octave labels.
3. Play only when you want sound.
4. Save the useful example and download a backup if it matters to you.