Chord Inversions Question

[amin]

Is there anyone out there with really good relative pitch that can help me with this?

I'm trying to listen for chord inversions. I know that you need to first hear the home base note and relate it to the lowest note which is the inversion. However, how do you relate the home base note to the lowest note? how can you tell that the low note is a 3 or a 5?

[Jed]

I just listen to each note, quickly identify how they relate to the key (using solfege or the scale notes) and have both the chord and the inversion at the same time. I find that inversions sound "unsettled" relative to their root-position versions.

[JonR]

Originally Posted by amin

Is there anyone out there with really good relative pitch that can help me with this?

I'm trying to listen for chord inversions. I know that you need to first hear the home base note and relate it to the lowest note which is the inversion. However, how do you relate the home base note to the lowest note? how can you tell that the low note is a 3 or a 5?

You should be able to hum or sing the root note of any triad chord - it's the one that sounds - er - most "rooted", the "home" note. That's the case wherever it is in the chord, which is of course the point of inversions (why an inversion is an inversion and not a different chord!).
When you're sure of the root note, you only have to work out then if there is another note below it, and whether that is the 3 or the 5.

1st inversions are pretty easy to hear, IMO, because they are the most unsettled - they always sound (to me) as if they are on the way somewhere else, because the bass note could be a leading tone to the root of a following chord. (Eg, C/E sounds like it ought to be followed by F, or maybe Dm.) When you play a 1st inversion chord, you really can't leave it alone - something has to follow.

In comparison, a 2nd inversion is quite a "smooth" sound. It's almost resolved in itself. If you sing the bass note (the 5th), you should be able to hear it resolve up a 4th to the root. (Like the opening notes of "Amazing Grace", the Bridal march, or "London's Burning".) Or maybe down a 5th, if your voice will go that low.
IOW, the chord resolves to itself (root position), rather than wanting to move elsewhere.

That's how I hear them anyway.

[All_¥our_Bass]

Try playing the various inversions of each chord follow by just playing one note of the chord. The one that sounds most right both time should be the root.

[amin]

thanks so much guys. This inversion stuff is kind of hard to work out, 3 note inversions are easy though.