VI. Inversions and Slash Chords
An inverted chord is one whose root is not in the bass.
| Voicing | Specifies | Name | Notes |
| Root position | root in bass | Cmaj7 | C-E-G-B |
| 1st inversion | 3rd in bass | Cmaj7/E | E-C-G-B |
| 2nd inversion | 5th in bass | Cmaj7/G | G-C-E-B |
| 3rd inversion | 7th in bass | Cmaj7/B | B-E-G-C |
Triads and extended chords may also be inverted in the same way. After the
specified bass note, the others may be in any order.
To specify the bass note, just write it after the slash. You can also use
the slash method to put a non-chord tone (9, 11, b5, or anything) in the bass.
Sometimes this is easier than writing a complex chord name.
| Easy Name | Hard Name | Notes |
| D/F | F13b9(no5, 7) | F F# A D |
A horizontal slash denotes a polychord: two chords played simultaneously, with the upper one in the higher octave.
| Bbmi | B D# F# Bb Db F |
 B |
1 3 5 7 9 #11 |