- So far we've only looked at triads in a root position,…which means the root is the bottom or base note.…Since there three notes in a triad, they can have three…possible bottom or base notes.…Not only the root, but the the third and the fifth as well.…We call the triad with the third in the base the…first inversion.…The triad with the fifth in the base is the…second inversion.…All three of these have distinct sounds while retaining…the quality, major, minor, diminished or augmented,…of the triad.…
Let's discuss first and second inversions.…In the first inversion of a triad we play the chord with…a third as the bottom note, the root at the top and the…fifth is tucked in the middle.…Let's use a C major triad as the example, for clarity.…Root position of the C major triad is C E G.…(piano music)…The first inversion of a C major triad has an E…on the bottom, followed by a G…and then a C on the top.…
You'll notice when we play the first inversion, the triad…has a distinctly different sound than when in root position.…
Author
Released
9/18/2015Professional musician Julian Velard starts the course with the building blocks of harmony: notes, scales, intervals, chords, inversions, and basic chord progressions. He then goes into voice leading—showing how to move from one chord to another by changing just one or two notes—and reviews common song forms, from the familiar verse/chorus/verse of pop to the simple verse of the blues. At the end of each chapter, Julian explains the songwriting techniques shown in the chapter within the context of his own original commercially released songs.
- Understanding scales, intervals, and keys
- Triads or three-note chords
- Triad inversions
- Common major-scale chord progressions and cadences
- Voice leading
- Song form elements such as verse, chorus, bridge, hook, and more
- Using common song forms in songwriting
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
Related Courses
-
Songwriting Techniques with Chords
with Julian Velard2h Intermediate -
Music Theory for Songwriters: Rhythm
with David Franz1h 35m Beginner
-
Introduction
-
Welcome1m 31s
-
-
1. The Building Blocks of Harmony
-
The octave4m 12s
-
Intervals: Major and perfect7m 20s
-
The concept of key3m 12s
-
Figuring out intervals6m 33s
-
-
2. Triads and Chord Progressions
-
Triads: The basics of chords7m 48s
-
Triad inversions6m 40s
-
Voicing6m 38s
-
Authentic cadences5m 32s
-
-
3. Chord Progressions and Voice Leading
-
What is voice leading?5m 28s
-
The suspended chord5m 11s
-
-
4. Song Forms
-
The importance of song form2m 34s
-
Beats, bars, and phrases5m 54s
-
The chorus song form element1m 23s
-
Verse/chorus/bridge forms1m 19s
-
Simple verse form2m 2s
-
Verse without chorus form1m 18s
-
AABA 32-bar form1m 24s
-
Through-composed song forms1m 26s
-
Looking at a song's form5m 53s
-
-
Conclusion
-
Next steps1m 16s
-
- Mark as unwatched
- Mark all as unwatched
Are you sure you want to mark all the videos in this course as unwatched?
This will not affect your course history, your reports, or your certificates of completion for this course.
CancelTake notes with your new membership!
Type in the entry box, then click Enter to save your note.
1:30Press on any video thumbnail to jump immediately to the timecode shown.
Notes are saved with you account but can also be exported as plain text, MS Word, PDF, Google Doc, or Evernote.
Share this video
Embed this video
Video: Triad inversions