How to Play a 154 1st Inversion Chord for Voicing

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Using chord inversions in your songs can make them sound balanced and fresh. With the right voicing, you can seamlessly stitch together these inversions, grounding your melodies and background instruments in a solid harmonic progression. The I-V-IV chord progression's one of the most prominent progressions in contemporary music, especially blues and rock. To spice it up, try starting the sequence in first inversion.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Step1
Pick a key for your progression. For simplicity's sake, use the white-note chords of C-Major.
Step2
Place your fingers on the I chord, which in this case is C-Major (C, E and G).
Step3
Shift your fingers up to play the chord in first inversion. Instead of starting on C, the new chord starts on E, followed by G and then the C an octave higher than before.
Step4
Move onto the V chord, which in the key of C is G-Major. For the best voice leading, play the chord in second inversion (D, G and then B).
Step5
Strike the last chord in the progression, which is the IV chord. This is F-Major in our chosen key, but we'll need to play it in second inversion for the best voicing. The notes go C, F and then A.
Step6
Return to the I chord, but instead of playing it in first inversion like you did before, play it in root position. The notes should go C, E and then G.

Tips & Warnings

  • When you play the progression using inversions, your fingers won't have to cover as much of the keyboard as they normally would.

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eHow Article: How to Play a 154 1st Inversion Chord for Voicing

eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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