Chord inversion notes calculator
C major is C–E–G in root position, E–G–C in first inversion and G–C–E in second. Enter a root and a chord type to see every position for piano voicings, theory homework or slash chords. Free in your browser.
- Free
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Your data stays on your device
Run — free
Worked example
- Root
- C
- Quality
- major
- Chord notes
- C, E, G
- Position count
- 3
This chord inversion notes calculator lists a chord in root position and then rotates its notes through every possible inversion. Enter a root such as C, F#, or Bb and choose a supported triad or seventh-chord quality. The result shows the bass note and bottom-to-top note order for each position, making it easy to check piano voicings, arrange close-position harmony, prepare theory exercises, or understand a slash chord. Note spelling follows musical letter structure, so a Bb major chord is written Bb–D–F rather than with unrelated enharmonic names.
Enter the chord root and quality
Start with a pitch-class root from A through G. You may add one sharp or flat using either the ordinary characters # and b or the Unicode music symbols. Octave numbers are intentionally excluded because the calculator describes note order rather than a register-specific performance.
Next, select the quality that defines the chord formula. Supported triads are major, minor, diminished, augmented, suspended second, and suspended fourth. Supported four-note chords are dominant seventh, major seventh, minor seventh, diminished seventh, and half-diminished seventh.
Familiar abbreviations are accepted, including maj, min, dim, aug, 7, maj7, m7, dim7, m7b5, and the half-diminished symbol. Case-sensitive abbreviations such as M and m retain their conventional major and minor meanings. Enter the chord as it is conceptually rooted, even when you expect an inversion to place another note in the bass.
Read root position and each inversion
Each following inversion moves the current lowest chord tone to the top while preserving the relative order of the other tones. A three-note chord therefore has root position, first inversion, and second inversion. A four-note seventh chord adds a third inversion.
For C major, the sequence is C–E–G, E–G–C, and G–C–E. For G dominant seventh, it is G–B–D–F, B–D–F–G, D–F–G–B, and F–G–B–D. These arrays describe close-position pitch-class order, not exact octaves or doubling.
On an instrument, each note moved to the end must be placed above the preceding notes to realize the named inversion.
What you can do with it
Piano and keyboard practice
See the bottom-to-top note order for every position before playing each chord across the keyboard.
Harmony worksheets
Create consistent answer keys for exercises that ask students to spell root position and inversions.
Chord and arranging software
Turn a root and quality into structured inversion rows with explicit bass notes for downstream interfaces.
FAQ
What is a chord inversion?
An inversion keeps the same chord tones but places a note other than the root in the bass. First inversion starts on the second chord tone, second inversion on the third, and so on.
How many inversions does a chord have?
A three-note triad has two inversions in addition to root position. A four-note seventh chord has three inversions in addition to root position.
Are the notes listed from low to high?
Yes. Each notes array is ordered from the bass upward, assuming close position and moving wrapped notes into a higher octave.
Does the calculator include octave numbers?
No. It returns pitch names and their ordering, leaving the exact register and spacing to the player or application.
What are the inversions of C major?
Root position is C–E–G, first inversion is E–G–C with E in the bass, and second inversion is G–C–E with G in the bass. Each step moves the lowest note to the top.
Related tools
For developers — API access
Everything on this page is available programmatically. This section is for teams who want to wire it into their own systems; everyone else can just use the tool above.
API endpoint
Prefer to automate it? One authenticated POST creates the task; the result comes back by webhook or a signed link. The same capability also runs here on the web, by email and from Telegram — and soon from our app too.
Call it from your stack
curl -X POST https://api.kit.forhosting.com/hobby/music-chord-inversion \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $KIT_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"root":"C","quality":"major"}'const res = await fetch("https://api.kit.forhosting.com/hobby/music-chord-inversion", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.KIT_KEY}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"root": "C",
"quality": "major"
})
});
const { task_id } = await res.json();import os, requests
res = requests.post(
"https://api.kit.forhosting.com/hobby/music-chord-inversion",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['KIT_KEY']}"},
json={
"root": "C",
"quality": "major"
},
)
task_id = res.json()["task_id"]<?php
$res = file_get_contents("https://api.kit.forhosting.com/hobby/music-chord-inversion", false, stream_context_create([
"http" => [
"method" => "POST",
"header" => "Authorization: Bearer " . getenv("KIT_KEY") . "\r\nContent-Type: application/json",
"content" => '{"root":"C","quality":"major"}',
],
]));
$task = json_decode($res, true);body := bytes.NewBufferString(`{"root":"C","quality":"major"}`)
req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.kit.forhosting.com/hobby/music-chord-inversion", body)
req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+os.Getenv("KIT_KEY"))
req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)Example request
{
"root": "C",
"quality": "major"
}Example response
{
"task_id": "tsk_a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6",
"type": "hobby.music_chord_inversion",
"status": "queued",
"_links": {
"result": "/tasks/tsk_…/result"
}
}The API is asynchronous: the call returns a task_id immediately and the result arrives by webhook. Polling is capped at 1 req/s per task.
Pricing
Published price — no tokens, no invented credits. A failed task is never charged.
Errors
| HTTP | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
401 | unauthorized | Missing or invalid API key. |
402 | insufficient_balance | Your balance doesn't cover the task price. |
404 | unknown_type | That task type doesn't exist. |
429 | rate_limited | Too many requests. Use the webhook instead of polling. |
Technical notes
The browser calculation is free, while API requests cost $0.002 each for repeatable use in apps and learning tools.
Enter the chord root and quality
If either field is absent, the root spelling is malformed, or the quality is outside this documented set, the request returns an invalid_input error instead of guessing. That strict behavior is useful in lessons and production systems because a typo cannot silently produce a plausible but incorrect chord.
Read root position and each inversion
The chord_notes field gives the correctly spelled chord tones in their normal root-based order. The root_position object repeats that order and identifies the root as the bass note. Every position includes a plain-English position label, a bass_note field, and a notes array ordered from bottom to top. The position_count field equals the number of chord tones and helps interfaces render a predictable number of rows without inferring the chord size from its name.
Apply the results to instruments and software
Use the browser calculator when studying figured bass, checking keyboard homework, exploring smoother chord changes, or converting chord symbols into basic voicings. A pianist can locate the stated bass note first and place the remaining notes above it in the returned order. A guitarist can use the same information to identify whether a shape is in root position or an inversion, while remembering that real guitar shapes often double notes and spread them across several octaves. Arrangers can compare consecutive positions and select bass movement that supports a melody without changing the chord identity. For automated worksheets, harmony apps, or chord-diagram services, send the same root and quality fields to the API at $0.002 per request and consume the stable arrays directly. The algorithm is deterministic and uses no network, randomness, or clock, so identical inputs always return identical JSON. This calculator does not choose stylistic voicings, generate MIDI, add octave numbers, analyze audio, or decide which inversion sounds best in context. It also does not treat arbitrary extensions or altered jazz symbols as supported chords. Those decisions depend on register, instrumentation, voice leading, and musical style; this capability deliberately supplies the foundational note ordering on which those richer choices can be built.
Technical questions
How much does the calculator cost?
The browser version runs free. Programmatic API requests use prepaid KIT balance and cost $0.002 per item.