Michael Leibson, 2010

www.thinkingmusic.ca

INVERSION, SPACING & DOUBLING

Triads can be manipulated in numerous ways without losing their identity:
Inversion Any triad can be flipped, or inverted, so that its third or fifth - rather than its
root - becomes the lowest note. It is in root position when root is lowest note,
1st inversion when third is lowest, and 2nd inversion when fifth is lowest:
C major, root position

C major, 1st inversion C major, 2nd inversion

G (fifth)

C (root)

E (third)

E (third)

G (fifth)

C (root)

C (root)

E (third)

G (fifth)

Bass / In the bass

The lowest note in a triad is called its bass note -- its the note thats in the bass.
Any note of the triad can be in the bass, but the triads true structure (with third a
3rd above root, and fifth a 5th above it) is only clearly evident when the triad is in
root position.
Note the following:
*
Triad name remains the same regardless of whether root, third or fifth is in the
bass.
*
Triad members (root, third and fifth) retain their identities, even when they no
longer form 3rds or 5ths against either the root or bass.
As long as the notes of the triad are exactly maintained, the triad and its members
always retain their identity; eg. C-E-G, E-G-C and G-C-E are simply three forms of
the same C major triad.
Determining root, third and fifth in a 1st inversion or 2nd inversion triad
Root, third and fifth are not clearly evident in 1st or 2nd inversion triads. To identify
these chord members, the triad must first be placed in root position, where root, third
and fifth are at their proper intervals from each other. To do this, re-stack* the
given notes until they form a 3rd and 5th against the bass note:
A major, root position

C#
A
4th

A
6th

E
3rd

E (fifth)
6th

C# (third)

5th

3rd
C#

A (root)

You can also see that, in root position, root, third and fifth are each an interval of a
3rd from each other, or, stacked in 3rds.
* When re-stacking, make sure triad notes are always as close together as possible -- ie, that there is no
room to insert another chord member between adjacent notes:
Eg: A-E-C# is not stacked as closely as possible, since C# could be inserted between A and E.

Spacing

Not only can a triad be inverted, but the spacing of its notes can also be changed. As
long as the notes remain the same, they can be spaced at any distance from each other.

close spacing

G
E
C

C
G
E

E
C
G

open spacing

C
G

C
E
G

E
C

When all the notes of a triad (in any inversion) are as close to each other as possible,
the triad has close spacing (also referred to as being in close position). Any other
arrangement is called open spacing (or open position).
Determining root and quality of open spaced triad
Nothing is clearly evident in open spaced triads! To discover if what you see/hear is
even a triad:
1. Re-stack the notes as closely as possible: when re-stacked this way, no additional
chord note can be inserted between adjacent notes.
2. Find the triads root position by re-stacking its notes so that they form a
3rd and 5th against the bass note (see Determining root, third and fifth in a 1st
inversion or 2nd inversion triad, above).
If this is impossible, you may not have a triad, but something else.
3. Once in root position, figure out the quality of 3rd and 5th to determine triad
quality.
4. Triad name will = ROOT plus triad quality (eg, C major)
Doubling
Guitar chords - and many keyboard chords - are rarely restricted to just three notes.
However, many of these chords are in fact triads, in which one or more chord
members have been duplicated at higher or lower octaves:

E
C
G
E
C

G
E
C

guitar chord:
CEGCE
CEG

This duplication is called doubling, and can be applied to triads in any inversion, in close or
open spacing. (The term doubling is used regardless of whether a note is actually doubled,
tripled or even quadrupled.) Any amount and kind (choice of octaves, spacing, etc.) of
doubling is possible, with good results depending on sonority, context and instrumental
considerations and conventions.
Determining root and triad quality in doubled chord
1. Eliminate all note duplication:
eg: G-E-G-C-E
2. Re-stack the remaining three notes as closely as possible:
eg: G-E-C G-C-E
3. Re-stack notes (if necessary) so that they form a 3rd and 5th against the bass note:
eg: G-C-E C-E-G
4. Figure out the quality of 3rd and 5th to determine triad quality.
eg: C-E = major 3rd; C-G = perfect 5th
Triad with major 3rd and perfect 5th = major triad
5. Name triad:
eg: C major

UNUSUAL TRIADS
Some triads do NOT contain third and fifth, but other combinations:
Eg.
E5 / power chord
Dsus
Csus2
B (fifth)
perfect
5th
p4
E (root)

A (fifth)

G (fifth)

perfect
G (fourth) 5th
+2
D root

perfect
D (second) 5th
C (root)

Power chords - symbolized with either a 5 after the root name (Eg. E5), or a
(no 3rd) after the triad name (Eg. C (no 3rd) ) - consist of root and fifth only.
Sus chords - symbolized with a sus after triad name (Dsus) - are triads in which the
third of the triad has been displaced by a fourth. (The sus stands for
suspended or
suspension, an old musical technique by which the chord is formed.)
Sus2 chords - symbolized by a sus2 after the triad name (Csus2) - are triads in which the
third has been displaced by a second.
All of these chords are triads with altered structure.

7TH, 9TH, 11TH, 13TH CHORDS

All 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th chords are triads with additional chord members, each
stacked at an interval of a 3rd above the other:
root third fifth 7th 9th 11th 13th
3rd
3rd
3rd
3rd 3rd
3rd
Every 7th chord must contain at least root, third and seventh.
Every 9th, 11th or 13th chord must contain at least root, third, seventh, along with the
chord member designated by the chord name (ie, ninth, etc.)

ADDED-NOTE CHORDS
Added-note chords are basically 9ths, 11ths and 13th chords that dont contain the
obligatory seventh as chord member. For example, C9 (C ninth) is a C triad with seventh
and ninth as additional chord members; C add9 is a C triad with ninth only
as additional chord
member (examine the rules listed for 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th
chords, above).
Many added-note chords are symbolized with the term add (as in C add9) placed after the
triad name. Some, however are a little more cryptic: 6th chords (C6) are 13th* chords with
no seventh, ninth or eleventh present. 6/9 chords (C6/9) are 13th chords with no seventh or
eleventh present.
*An interval of a 13th is what is known as a compound interval -- ie, an interval greater than a perfect octave. An interval of a
13th is the equivalent of an interval of a 6th, but one octave larger -- hence the term 6th chords.

Michael Leibson, 2010

www.thinkingmusic.ca