Help Understanding chord inversions

I'm going through the second level Of guitar fundamentals and am wondering if being able to play triads and inversions beyond in their root position is just a matter of knowing the notes on the fretboard? Any help is appreciated.

Well other than knowing the notes, the only other thing would be knowing the physical shapes made by your hands. Not sure what you're asking exactly.

Is there a group of shapes that are consistent across the fretboard?

Originally Posted by: Goli4rdI'm going through the second level Of guitar fundamentals and am wondering if being able to play triads and inversions beyond in their root position is just a matter of knowing the notes on the fretboard? Any help is appreciated.

You have to know the notes of the fretboard and the location of the scale degrees that form the triads. These tutorials cover triads & inversions across the fretboard in detail.

www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=148
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=730
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=731
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=733
www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=734

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by: Goli4rdIs there a group of shapes that are consistent across the fretboard?

In a way, yes. Just like regular chords that can be moved around the fretboard with the same hand position.

It would be more beneficial for you to learn the notes and understand what you are playing, rather than just memorizing shapes.

Originally Posted by: Goli4rdI'm going through the second level Of guitar fundamentals and am wondering if being able to play triads and inversions beyond in their root position is just a matter of knowing the notes on the fretboard? Any help is appreciated.

Knowing the notes on the fretboard is key for many important things. Still of course "visualisation" is a good thing. For example, when you learned your first chords you did not even think about what notes you have to use, you just looked for how it "looked".

You can do it like that but still start on knowing the notes soon, it will help you even more to become a good and creative player.

Learning the notes on the fretboard will make it much easier for you to get away from the Basic chords we all know and allow you to be more expressive and creative.

Here are a few lessons I did on inversions over the years.
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=646
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=647
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=934

Yes, it helps to know the note names and what notes make up each chord as well.

When I was first introduced to inversions, I was more invested in memorizing the shapes and it really opened up my playing (and still does.) With time, I began to memorize the notes on the neck much better and more inversions were to follow.

Knowledge of inversions really, really betters your playing and helps you sound much more mature on the instrument. You can't go wrong continuing to work through your inversions.

Originally Posted by: Goli4rdIs there a group of shapes that are consistent across the fretboard?

It's good to realize that triads (and all the inversions) are just parts of the big full chords you may already know. They are not really separate things, just three notes from a bigger chord shape - the very essence of that chord if you will.

For example:

A 1st inversion triad on the G, B, and E strings is just the top part of a standard barre chord. Just like you can move around your barre chords, you can move around those triads.

A 2nd inversion triad on the G, B, and E strings is nothing but the top part of a standard D chord. If you move it up one fret it becomes a D# triad, 2nd inversion. One more fret and it's an E triad, 2nd inversion.

A 2nd inversion triad on the D, G, and B strings is just the middle part of a standard A chord, which is essentially a 5th string root barre chord with the nut being the barre.

Find any 5th string root barre chord, like C major for example, and just play the D, G, and B strings - and that's a 2nd inversion triad.

Hope this helps a bit. /Ben

Mastering triads and inversions beyond their root positions in guitar playing requires more than just knowing the notes on the fretboard. While knowing the notes is essential, it's equally important to understand the relationship between the notes in a chord and how they can be rearranged across different positions on the fretboard. Developing this skill involves practice, ear training, and a solid understanding of music theory. Keep practicing and exploring different voicings to enhance your playing skills. Good luck on your guitar journey!

the my location help find out your location