Inversions Seventh Chords

Just as triads can be inverted, seventh chords can be inverted too. The first three inversions for
seventh chords are the same as those for triads: root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion
(root in the bass, 3rd in the bass, and 5th in the bass, respectively). The one new inversion added
for seventh chords is 3rd inversion, in which the 7th of the chord is in the bass.
Seventh chords in inversion can also be notated using slash chord notation like triads can.
However, when dealing with chords with more notes in them, sometimes more than one name
can be given to them. For example, figure 2.3 shows a Gm7 chord in 3rd inversion.

Fig. 2.3

This chord can equally be called Gm7/F or Gm/F. Both are accurate descriptions of the chord
and convey the full idea of the chord. The more complex the chords, the more possibilities exist
for naming, as will be seen in later sections in this book.

Inverting Voicings
To form an inversion of a chord, the only criteria that must be met is that a specific note of the
chord is in the bottom of the voicing. However, to take a specific voicing and invert that
voicing, so that each inversion of that chord uses the same spacing of notes, follow the method
shown in figure 2.4.

Fig. 2.4

68

First, take the notes of the voicing to be inverted and write them out as a scale, not skipping any
notes. Then, take each note of the voicing and move it up one note in the scale. For example,
when going from the first voicing to the first inversion of that voicing in figure 1.35 (the first and
second chords in measure 3), the C will move up the an E, the G up to a B, the B up to a C, and
the E up to a G. This method will work for any kind of voicing for any kind of chord.

3rds and 7ths, Shell Voicings

So far the harmony weve been focusing on in this chapter has been triads. The next step beyond
basic triadic harmony is harmony based on seventh chords. Rather than start out with full 4-note
voicings for seventh chords, we will start with what are called guide tones, which are the 3rd
and 7th of a chord.
The three most defining notes of a seventh chord are the Root (establishes where the foundation
is for all the other notes to be heard in relation to), the 3rd (determines the quality of the chord,
i.e. major, minor, etc), and the 7th of the chord (determines what kind of seventh chord). The
natural 5th of a seventh chord is actually a fairly unimportant note and is routinely excluded from
chord voicings.
The bare minimum requirement for a seventh chord voicing is therefore a voicing that includes
the root, 3rd, and 7th of the chord. This kind of voicing is frequently called a shell voicing as it
is the most basic group of notes that more complex chords are built from. If there is a bass
player present in the playing situation, then the root can be dropped from the chord voicings, as
the root is the note the bass player emphasizes the most.
The best range on the guitar to play the 3rd and 7ths are on the third and fourth strings. The range
is just high enough that it avoids the register that the bass is in, and just low enough that it will
avoid the register of most melodic instruments (ex: horns, piano, another guitar).
The root can be included if desired, but it is not necessary. Often adding the root down low on
the fifth and sixths strings will muddy up the harmony by interfering with the register that the
bass is playing in. When there isnt a bass player, for example when playing solo or in a duet
with a melody instrument, the root becomes very important to include in voicings. Figure 2.5
shows some common shell voicings.

69

Fig. 2.5
Major 7

Dominant 7

Minor 7, Minor 7(b5)

Diminished 7

Note: Since the only difference between a minor 7 chord and a minor 7(b5) chord is the natural
or lower fifth, and since the fifth is commonly omitted from shell voicings, both of these chord
types will have the same physical fretboard pattern for a shell voicing.

70