Easy Guide to Harmonising a Melody – 2 – The Magical World of Inversions

Using Inversions: 

What we can do is increase the number of chords available to us, by using INVERSIONS:  

1. You take the bottom note of the triad 

2. Put it up an octave = 1^st inversion 

3. Take the bottom note of the 1^st inversion 

4. Put it up an octave = 2^nd inversion 

5. Take the bottom note of the 2^nd inversion 

6. Put it up an octave, and it’s now the same pattern/order of notes as the original 

Therefore alongside our Root Position chords: 

We can now add our 1^st inversion chords: 

Twice the number of chords to play with! 

Let’s see if adding in 1^st inversions makes it more interesting: 

This gives more interesting chords as a variety, and a more mobile bass line – always think when you are composing ‘how bored will the ‘cellist be?’.