Part II

Using Inversions

ii7-examples

Adding inversions to your writing will open up many new possibilities for creating and combining chords.

When using inversions, the bass will often move by step creating more melodic lines. Care should be taken to avoid parellel fifths and octaves.

We can generalize our previous guideline for I-ii and IV-V to include inversions:

When the bass moves by step;

  1. resolve any active tones
  2. keep common tones in the same voice
  3. move the doubled pitches in oblique or contrary motion to one another

You may also find that one of the upper voices will move by a perfect fourth. This is fine if the other voices are moving by common tone and step.

Some basic examples follow: 

        G - F  - contrary motion to the bass 
        C - A  - oblique motion to the other C
        C - C  - common tone
-----  ------
Bass:   E - F  - bass moves up by step
C+:    I6 - IV


        G - A  - contrary motion to the other G 
        G - F  - contrary motion to the other G
        C - C  - common tone
-----  ------
Bass:   E - F  - bass moves up by step
C+:    I6 - IV


	D - C  - stepwise motion
	G - G  - common tone
        G - E  - oblique motion to the other G
-----  ------
Bass:   B - C  - bass moves up by step
C+:    V6 - I


        D - E  - contrary motion to the other D
	D - C  - contrary motion to the other D
        G - G  - common tone
-----  ------
Bass:   B - C  - bass moves up by step
C+:    V6 - I


        C - B  - parallel motion to the bass
	F - G  - oblique motion to the other F
        F - F  - common tone
-----  ------
Bass:   A - G  - bass moves down by step
C+:   IV6 - V7