Chord Inversions: Bass Notes and Voice Leading

When you play a chord, the lowest note anchors the harmony. Move that bass note to a different chord tone and you have an inversion. A G chord with G in the bass sounds like a landing point. A G chord with B in the bass sounds like it wants to keep moving. That difference - between stability and motion - is what inversions give you.

Guitar makes inversions especially flexible because you control which string carries the bass note by choosing where to fret and which strings to mute or emphasize with the pick.

The Three Positions

Every triad has three positions:

Root position: root is lowest (G chord with G in bass)
First inversion: third is lowest (G chord with B in bass, written G/B)
Second inversion: fifth is lowest (G chord with D in bass, written G/D)

Root position sounds resolved. First inversion sounds open - it pulls toward the next chord. Second inversion creates tension that resolves naturally to root position.

Guitar-Specific: The Slash Chord

On guitar, inversions are often notated as slash chords: G/B means G major chord with B in the bass. You play a G chord shape but make sure the lowest string you strum has a B note.

G/B is one of the most useful inversions in guitar playing. The standard G chord (320003) has a G bass. To get G/B: play 020003 or x20033 - the A string (fret 2) gives you B as the bass note. This chord appears constantly in the descending bass pattern G-G/B-C, which creates a stepwise bass line (G-B-C) instead of a jump.

Voice Leading in Practice

The real value of inversions is smooth bass movement. Compare these two progressions:

Without inversions: G (bass: G) to C (bass: C) - the bass jumps a fourth.

With inversion: G (bass: G) to G/B (bass: B) to C (bass: C) - the bass steps up by thirds.

The second version sounds more connected. The bass line tells a story instead of jumping between posts.

Common Guitar Inversions Worth Knowing

G/B (x20033): G chord, B in bass - used in G-G/B-C sequences
D/F# (200232): D chord, F# in bass - great between Em and G
C/E (032010): C chord, E in bass - sits between Am and G
Am/E (002210): Am chord, E in bass - sounds darker than root Am

Practice Exercise

Learn the G/B shape (x20033) and work it into the progression G-C-D-Em. Replace the G with G/B and notice how the bass movement from B to C feels when going to the C chord - a half-step, much smoother than the fourth leap from G to C.

Play G-C-D-Em in root position, listen to the bass jumps
Replace G with G/B (x20033)
Play G/B-C - notice the bass B moves up a half step to C
Find one other inversion in this progression that smooths a transition

Questions and Answers

What is a slash chord on guitar?: A slash chord is a chord inversion written in the format Chord/Bass - for example, G/B means a G major chord with B as the lowest note. On guitar, this is achieved by making sure the lowest string you strum sounds the indicated bass note. Slash chords are used to create stepwise bass movement and smoother chord transitions.
What is the G/B chord on guitar?: G/B is a G major chord with B in the bass, typically fingered as x20033 or 020033. It is a first inversion G chord and is used most often as a passing chord between G and C, creating a half-step bass movement (G-B-C) rather than a leap of a fourth from G directly to C.

Next up: Ear Training Basics - understanding scale structure explains why these chord movements work the way they do.