Vertical Truth: Chordal Mechanisms for the Guitar
Unit 5: 7th Inversions
-
Create more variety when playing a single chord.
-
Create texture when 2 guitars are playing together. Each guitar can play a different voicing of the same chord rather than both guitarists playing exactly the same thing all the time.
-
Create smooth voice-leading from one chord to another.
Interested? Read on!
This product is a PDF download that contains:
-
10 Lessons
-
53 Pages
-
237 Fretboard Diagrams
-
60 Notation Examples
-
51 Demonstration Video Links
PLUS...Every demonstration video has dozens of embedded dynamic fretboard diagrams.
Want to know what all the above looks like? Check out this promo video:
What Are Inversions?
An inversion is a chord with any other note of the chord but the root in the bass.
For example, here are the inversions of Bb7:
Notice the embedded dynamic fretboard diagrams in the video above? Most teaching videos on MasterGuitarSchool.com contain them.
How Are Inversions Used?
Inversions have many uses. For example:
-
7th Inversions are used is to create more variety when playing a single chord.
This comes in very handy when playing any song that sits on one chord for a while, like a Blues where you have one chord for 4 bars. Think about what piano players play. They don't just play the same static thing for 4 bars - they change up the voicing and move things around. Very few guitar players do that.
You can put yourself in a rare category of guitar playing by knowing 7th Inversions!
-
Another way inversions can be used is to create texture when 2 guitars are playing together. Each guitar can play a different voicing of the same chord rather than both guitarists playing exactly the same thing all the time.
There is a wide variety of sounds and textures that can be achieved this way -
But you have to know your inversions in order to know the possibilities!
-
A third use for inversions is to create smooth voice-leading from one chord to another.
If you play a Dmi7 to a G7 the way most guitarists do it, both chords are played in root position; it looks like this on the staff (you don't have to be able to read music to get the concept here). Notice how ALL the notes jump down a 4th; for obvious reasons, this is called parallel voice-leading:
Sound-wise, this can be somewhat jarring because every note jumps a 4th down.
However, Dmi7 and G7 have 2 notes in common: F and D. If we voice the G7 chord in 2nd inversion, the D and F notes stay the same:
From one chord to another 2 notes stay the same – thus “common tone.” Of the notes that change, one moves a whole-step and other other moves a half-step, i.e. “smooth voice leading.” There is very little movement and yet the chord has completely changed. It's a much smoother, less jarring sound.
There's also less physical movement on the fretboard; both chords are on the same set of strings, as opposed to jumping from one string group to another, as what happens with parallel voice-leading. And less movement means less potential for error.
The guitar lends itself to parallel voice-leading. It's inherent in the nature of the instrument. When you move power chords and bar chords around (the typical way most guitarists play), as in the parallel voice-leading example above, most of the time you are in parallel mode.
Knowing 7th inversions will take your playing to a whole new level of musicality and open up sounds that set you apart!
Key Schemes
Another very important thing taught in this lesson series is the concept of Key Schemes.
A Key Scheme is the way diatonic progressions (we will use Common-Tone II V I) are arranged in a particular song to move through different tonal centers, or keys:
Prerequisites:
-
5-Lesson Foundational Series - Free!
-
Major Scale Patterns - Free!
-
Unit 3: Triads - $99. Members-Only Discount - $49.
HERE'S THE DEAL!
The retail price for Unit 5: 7th Inversions is $119: Anyone can purchase - if you want to pay full price without signing up and no strings attached, just click on the button below:
If you are a Master Guitar School Site Member you can use your Members-Only Discount and purchase for $59!
If you are a Site Member: When you click on the button below you will be prompted to sign in if you are not already signed in. The page is a Members-Only page.
If you are NOT a Site Member: When you click on the button below you will be prompted to sign up as a Site Member. Membership is free and there are many other benefits to being a Site Member, but the Members-Only Discount is a big one (at least 50% or more)! After signing up you will be automatically redirected to the Members-Only Discount.