Chord Inversions — Printable Reference Chart
Every major and minor triad in all 12 keys, in root position, first inversion and second inversion — written on the staff and shown on the keyboard, with the bass note arrowed in each diagram. Switch between major and minor, then hit Print or Download PDF for the whole set on one page, no signup. The notes themselves come from the scale of each key.
Prints on one US Letter page. Set margins to "None" for the sharpest result.
Chord Inversions — Major Triads
All 12 keys in treble clef · 1st inversion puts the 3rd in the bass, 2nd inversion puts the 5th in the bass
Same three notes in every cell of a row — only the bottom one changes. · printablepolly.com/chord-inversions
How Chord Inversions Work
1. Take the bottom note off and put it on top
C major is C E G. Lift the C an octave and you have E G C — first inversion. Do it again and you have G C E — second inversion. Do it a third time and you are back to C E G an octave higher, which is why a triad has exactly two inversions. Nothing about the harmony changed: the same three note names are sounding, so it is still a C chord.
2. The slash name tells you the bass note
C/E is read “C over E” and means a C chord with E as its lowest note — not a C chord with an extra E added. The three names for a C triad are C, C/E and C/G, and the chart prints all three above every diagram. Minor works the same way: Cm, Cm/E♭, Cm/G.
3. Figured bass: 6 and 6/4
Classical scores number the intervals above the bass instead. Root position is a fifth and a third above the bass, written 5/3 and usually left off entirely. First inversion is a sixth and a third — shortened to just 6. Second inversion is a sixth and a fourth, written 6/4. Attached to a Roman numeral those become I6 and I 6/4, which is the notation you will meet the moment you start analysing a piece alongside its key signature.
4. Use them to stop the hand jumping
Root-position C to F moves every finger a fourth. Play the F as F/C — C F A — and the C stays under the thumb while the other two notes step up one place each. That is the practical reason to learn inversions: any chord progression around the circle of fifths can be played almost without moving, once you can pick the shape that is nearest your hand. The music theory basics chart covers the intervals the figures are counting.
5. Practise one key at a time
Take a row off the chart and play all three shapes up and down the keyboard, saying the bass note out loud each time — root, third, fifth. Then close the sheet and write the same three chords out on blank staff paper. Writing them is what makes the pattern stick, because you have to work out which note moved rather than copy a picture.
Printable PDF
The chart above is the whole thing — 12 keys, three positions each, on one US Letter page. Print the major sheet and the minor sheet for a complete two-page reference. No signup, no watermark.
Make this chart last
A chart that lives on the music stand wants 65 lb cardstock, and laminating it means a student can mark the bass notes with a dry-erase pen and wipe them off. Our guide to the best printing supplies for charts and worksheets compares the cardstock, ink, laminating pouches and sheet protectors worth buying.
More Printable Music Charts
Piano Scales
The scale every one of these chords comes from
🎹Piano Chord Chart
Major, minor, 7th & diminished in all 12 keys
🎯Circle of Fifths
All 12 keys & relative minors
🎼Key Signatures Chart
All 15 keys in treble & bass clef
🎵Music Theory Basics
Intervals, dynamics & tempo
🎸Guitar Chords
The same chords as fretboard shapes
🎼Bass Clef Notes
Lines, spaces & ledger notes named
🎶Staff Paper
Blank staves to write them out on
🎶Note Values Chart
Whole to sixteenth notes & rests
FAQ
What is a chord inversion?
A chord with something other than the root as its lowest note. A C major triad is C E G; move the C up an octave and you get E G C — the same three notes, now with E at the bottom, which is first inversion. Move the E up as well and you get G C E, second inversion. The chord is still C major throughout: only the bass note changes.
What is the difference between first and second inversion?
Which chord tone is in the bass. First inversion puts the third on the bottom — E in a C major triad, written C/E and figured 6. Second inversion puts the fifth on the bottom — G, written C/G and figured 6/4. Root position has the root on the bottom. That is the whole difference, and it is why the chart marks the bass note in every diagram.
How many inversions does a triad have?
Two, plus root position — three arrangements in all, because a three-note chord has three possible bass notes. Seventh chords have four notes and so have three inversions, the last of which puts the seventh in the bass (C7/B♭). There is no third inversion of a plain triad.
How do you write chord inversions?
Two systems, both on this chart. Lead sheets and chord charts use slash names: C/E, Cm/G — the letter after the slash is the bass note, not an extra note in the chord. Classical analysis uses figured bass after a Roman numeral: I in root position, I6 for first inversion, I 6/4 for second. The numbers count the intervals above the bass, so a sixth and a fourth above G give you C major in second inversion.
Why do pianists use inversions?
To stop the hand jumping and to keep the voices moving smoothly. Going from C to F in root position (C E G to F A C) moves all three fingers a fourth. Play the F as F/C — C F A — and the C stays exactly where it is while the other two notes move one step. Inversions also let you choose the bass line separately from the chords, which is how accompaniments walk downward while the harmony stays put.
Does an inverted chord get a different name?
No. C/E, C/G and C are all C major chords, and in a chord symbol you still call it C. The inversion only tells the player which note to put at the bottom. Where it does matter is analysis — a I 6/4 behaves differently from a root-position I, which is why the figured-bass numbers exist alongside the letter names.
Do guitar chords have inversions too?
Yes — the lowest sounding string decides. An open C shape has C in the bass, but play the same notes with E as the lowest string and you have C/E. Guitarists most often reach inversions through slash chords in a chart, and the theory is identical to the keyboard version on this page.
Is this chord inversions chart free to print?
Yes — pick major or minor triads, then click Print or Download PDF and all 12 keys land on one US Letter page. No signup, no watermark, and no limit on copies for a classroom or a studio.