Questions: Chord Inversions

Question 1

A C major chord is played with E in the bass, G in the middle, and C on top. What inversion is this?

• A. Root position
• B. First inversion
• C. Second inversion
• D. Third inversion

Answer: (B)

First inversion has the third of the chord (E, the third of C major) as the lowest-sounding note. The other voices can be arranged in any order above the bass. This is notated in figured bass as '6' (or 6/3), since the upper voices form intervals of a sixth and a third above the bass.

Question 2

Changing a C major chord from root position to first inversion makes it a fundamentally different chord with a different harmonic function.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

Inversion changes the voicing and the bass note, which affects the sound and stability of the chord, but it does not change the chord's identity or harmonic function. A C major chord in any inversion is still functioning as tonic harmony — its relationship to the key is unchanged. The bass note creates a different color and smoothness, not a different chord.

Question 3

Why are second-inversion triads (6/4 chords) treated with special care in traditional harmony, unlike root position and first inversion triads?

Model answer: In second inversion, the fifth of the chord is in the bass, creating a fourth above the bass to the root. The fourth was historically considered dissonant against a bass note, making the 6/4 chord harmonically unstable. It typically appears in three specific contexts: the cadential 6/4 (which resolves to a dominant chord), the passing 6/4 (bass moves stepwise through it), and the pedal 6/4 (bass stays stationary). In each case, the chord is understood as needing resolution rather than resting as a stable harmony.

The instability of the 6/4 chord is a crucial practical point. Students often treat all inversions as interchangeable, but placing the dominant or subdominant in second inversion at a cadence without proper resolution sounds weak and unresolved.