MUSIC THEORY

Mod 2

• Subject of the Day:  First Inversion Chords
• Reading Assignment: Kostka text, pp. 117-122
• Written Assignment: Workbook, Ex. 8-1 (A 1,2,3)
• Semester Schedule

 

Inverted Chords

                     Triads                         Seventh Chords

    =  root position triad                    7  =  root position seventh chord

6  =  first inversion triad                   6
                                                       5  =  first inversion seventh chord
6
4  =  second inversion triad              4
                                                       3  =  second inversion seventh chord

                                                       4
                                                       2  =  third inversion seventh chord
 
 

• Inversions can result from arpeggiation
• Inversions can result from substitution for root position chords
• Inversions improve the melodic quality of the bass line
• Inversions provide greater variety of pitches to the bass line
• First inversion allows for the use of diminished triads
• Faux bourdon

Substitution:  An inverted chord can replace a root position of the same chord.

Melodic bass line:  Through the use of inversions stepwise movement can occur more readily in the bass line.

Variety of pitches in bass:  Especially if few chords are used (e.g. I,  IV,  V), the bass may ( instead of having only three notes available) double its numbers of potential notes to 6, considering the possibility of each of the chords being in either root position or first inversion.  If we consider second inversion as well, the number of possible notes now are 9.

Diminished triads:  Up to this point we have not been able to use diminished triads.  The reason for this is when a diminished triad is in root position, there occurs a diminished fifth between the bass and at least one of the other voices.  From the Renaissance Period (late 15th and 16th centuries) until the beginning of the Romantic Period (early 19th century) the tritone between the lowest voice and any other voice was avoided.  When we invert a diminished triad, the intervals between the bass and other voices are a 6th and a 3rd (the same as any other first inversion triad).  This eliminates the poor sounding tritone from the bass.

Faux bourdon:  A compositional device used throughout our musical history (especially the Baroque Period {1600-1750}) was a succession of parallel first inversion chords, usually in stepwise descending motion.  This was called faux bourdon (false bass).
 
 

If you still have questions, contact Dr. Bartolotta at wbartolo@odu.edu.