How to Play a First Inversion Chord Shape

The Final Major Chord Shape

The first inversion chord is another version of a major chord but the notes are in a different order than the root position chord or the bar chord.

For this lesson, we're just going to focus on our first inversion D chord. This chord is very close to the root position G you learned in the previous lesson and with practice you'll find it to be a useful position when learning the backup for songs. The only difference between the root position chord and the first inversion are the notes on the 2nd and 3rd strings. Your fretting hand ring and pinky fingers will stay exactly where there are. Watch the lesson below to learn how to make your first inversion D chord.

The First Inversion Video Tutorial

Here you'll practice switching from a D chord to a G chord. This is a great exercise to practice smoothly moving from one chord shape to another.