Master Your Piano Chord Inversions (How To Practice Them)

[@dalaxel]

Message to novice pianists: As a professional jazz pianist of over 20 years, I can tell you that she is 100% right about everything in this video. Inversions open up so much for you in overall piano playing. Don't rush through the exercise! Take your time and really visualize and feel the shapes in your hands. I remember when I was first learning chords and inversions, I would go to bed visualizing chords in my head. No one told me to do this and it might sound a little odd but in hindsight I really think it helped my development immensely. Keep up the great videos Pianote!! Big fan here.

[@PianoteOfficial]

Thanks so much dexgol! Such wise words about not rushing!

[@Mikados_Advark12]

Thank you

[@derrickblakely2626]

I guess that's why they say that "Repetition Is The Mother of Learning". There's no instant gratification, but the struggle is real. This is all I've been practicing; nothing else.

[@goticothepra]

I just recently saw the video “How to know if you are Intermediate level Piano player?” I basically took that as a checklist of what to study to better myself. I learned white keys major and minor scales (proud to say that I can play them at over 120 bpms) I am now trying to learning how to play inversions & I started at C, although I can do them easily hands separate I struggle when doing them both at the same time but I made some progress and I was able to do all the inversions of C but slowly & broken rather chords. My questions are... 1- How do I know I have mastered the chord inversions? 2- When should I move to the next chord? 3- Should I stop doing them broken? I lost much hope before and stopped for a long time... it has been a dream for me to play the piano since in my teens. I am now 26 and I want to move forward as much as possible. I do practice 1hr-1.5hr daily but for now all I can do are scales because I was stuck & the video of “How to know if you are at Intermediate level” really gave a path to follow. Please don’t stop making great videos!! Because of you I am more than excited to play the piano on a daily basis. Thank you Pianote!!! Sorry for the book I just wrote 😅 please don’t forget the questions 🙏🏽😊

[@dalaxel]

Jean Carlos Carballo here is a general tip that might help with your journey: Like anything else in life, you’ll know you’ve mastered it when you can recall and apply the concept without thinking too much. And that brings me to another point, it’s good to practice these concepts but make sure you spend a good amount of time implementing them by playing them in actual songs. That’s when the real progress starts to happen and it changes from a technical exercise to making music. That’s the whole goal here right?

[@plind67]

Well over a year ago you had another lesson on inversions. I recall commenting that I was finding it very difficult to master playing inversions. So you indicated to me that I should persist in doing my best and to practice daily. I took your advise while still doubting my having any success. You also indicated how much faster it would be playing chords and songs. Well I'm happy to say thank you because I now play inversions and can't tell you how much easier it is to play without having to jump all around the keyboard.

[@PianoteOfficial]

Oh Paul that's so fantastic! I'm so proud of you for sticking with the practice, even when you doubted. Well done :)

[@m00ni]

I need Lisa's spirit for everything in my life.

[@giahuy6471]

me too

[@deepakkumarm3016]

Big an big fan You are my ideal

[@geishaproducer]

She's awesome.

[@stevie6178819]

Its simple.. do what you love

[@tobebuilds]

Easily my favorite piano teacher on KZbin.

[@stuckintheopenj9622]

God her vibe! She not only made me look forward to practising, but also look forward to life.. when you feel joy in the things you do, the joy spreads to other parts in life.. so thankful.. Thank you! 💜

[@professorsc213]

As a professional musician of 44 years, I think your video is excellent. You have a great way of teaching about you and your students are lucky to have you!

[@bulltremor]

Dynamics are not limited to Liza's piano playing, it extends even to how she speaks and presents an episode. I Love Pianote as it helps me progress in my piano journey.

[@Damonistique]

Your lighthearted attitude combined with professionalism is so inspiring! Sat down to practice immediately.

[@fivetimesyo]

Inversions with the proper fingering we a huge breakthrough for me because I could just target a note with (almost) any one of my fingers and -boom- the corresponding chord would just fall into place automatically. It was soothing for my guitar player soul...

[@DerrickWilliams-w1d]

Thanks teacher, you have given me a very POSITIVE VIBES . I have practiced that sequence for more than an hour. I was struggling to place my fingers for the second change. Thanks again, much appreciated

[@hazemomran9903]

I realized that I naturally started playing inversions to make a song easy to play and sing along to. For example, instead of sticking to the root chords and basically traveling across the whole piano to play the chords, I play inversions that make my fingers and hands move as little across the piano as possible and it’s literally a bliss. I can now play any song easily. There is a song that I learned to play by mixing root notes with inversions and realized that my pinky finger basically keeps playing the same note and it doesn’t move at all during the whole song and it makes it much easier to not only play the song, but to give more focus on singing it well as well.

[@lpa9974]

What was the song? Thank you.

[@daydreamer2958]

She’s encouraged me to actually pick up the piano even tho i have small hands. And I’m really happy that I didn’t hesitate.

[@KariKauree]

Yeah it must be especially hard to lift a piano when you have small hands 😁

[@rafaelmaldonado4434]

Lisa....you're incredible. Everything is so much easier when u teach

[@Spaced_Invader]

i wish you were my piano teacher many many moons ago... it's your energy that puts the fun back in the piano

[@blueworld7018]

Miss Lisa same as u i just recognized that inversions r life changing when it comes to playing chords till last week I started playing chords in the root position but after watching all ur videos on inversions It impacted my piano playing skills so....much.Currently, I'm working on getting comfortable with inversions but I'm sure I'll get it in no time because I'll be practicing what u have taught us everyday

[@jctell1014]

Novice here. Just began teaching myself chords using a chord chart one week ago. This is super helpful! Very smart using the black key as a visual marker.

[@GraceWanjakaranja]

I recently bought a piano and hadn't played for a long long long time say 20plus years. Now I have gone back to the start and watching your videos is slowly making my confidence with the keys return... ❤❤

[@Ascendancy08]

I find things like this more fun to practice if I practice chords in one hand and scale with the other. So in D Major, scale with your right hand and then match your chords up with the scale. Like practice your 1, 4 and 5 chords and play a 1 chord when you play a 1 note in your scale, play 4s together on your way up, 1 again at the top of the scale then 5 on your way down. Something like that where both hands are busy helps me have more fun with stuff like this. Then switch hands and break your brain all over again.

[@marilyngutierrez1590]

This is great! I promise to add to my daily practice everyday. Before I play anything, I will do this exercise then go on to what I will play. I play by ear and have been using chord inversions in my playing without ever realizing what they were called. I want to learn to read music. I also want to learn technique and proper fingering. I appreciate the tips like memorizing the hand shapes. It starts to click. You are very positive and motivating in your teaching methods. Thank you.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I am happy that I found your channel during my first month of piano practice. And now I am motivated to learning this. Not tomorrow, but soon.

[@theprune_yoga]

Inversions really are overwhelming to me yes... I started to practice them in august, felt overwhelmed by it so much so that I didnt even touched the piano anymore until today ! I damn well know from yoga, dance, surf, singing, everything really that progression comes with practice with consistency. But thank you for the very motivating video, will try this tomorrow, and again the next day until its second nature.

[@davidpeacock968]

I wish I had paid more attention to inversions when I first started many years ago. You have inspired me to get back to the basics. So important.

[@MarkDammer]

Played wind instruments for years - never had to deal with chords. Now I started playing synthesizers about half a year ago. While I worked with oscillators, filters and electronics for decades, suddenly having to deal with chords was a real challenge. And I can only say that I learned A LOT from Pianote and Lisa's lessons. Excellent!

[@scottmccampbell72]

Instead of jumping straight to playing both hands together from playing them separately, which is pretty hard even when playing slowly with that mindfulness you mention, I found that it's a little easier to practice a transition stage where you do an alternating LH-RH "call and response" type exercise. Then you can slowly decrease the time between the LH and the RH until they are finally doing it together. So I play: LH root position, then RH root position LH first inversion, then RH first inversion LH second inversion, then RH second inversion LH next octave root position, then RH next octave root position Then you can come back down the same way, which is good practice because descending is not automatically easy even after you can do the ascending without much of a problem, you really have to practice both directions. So I think this transition stage alternating thing is a good practice for that.

[@minacakes2]

I'm going to try this b/c you're right doing both hands together is VERY hard.

[@joepalen]

Revisiting this video today. So helpful! And in the months since I first watched it, I’ve definitely improved. I especially like how using inversions has made it easier to play songs I’ve been hacking at for years with awkward transitions (because I’d only learned how to play each chord one way). Inversions allow for smoother transitions, and for a variety of transitions. Thanks!

[@aranleaf0]

Nice tutorial. Simple and we'll explained. I've recently discovered inversions and now I see why more experienced players sound so much better playing the same chords.

[@bartcrawford8462]

excellent perspective...thank you! Bart

[@marksgameoflife8446]

I like inversions better now that I understand them better. You show me how to practice them and explained them well, now they seem easier and less confusing. Thanks!

[@lisyau-hunzeker9860]

Interesting how I never put much thought to inversions. They were just part of my practice with scales and arpeggios. I love how Lisa breaks it down and emphasizes feeling the shape. It's so important! 🤗

[@52637-b]

Let me join the party to. Ive been a professional pianist for well over a thousand years and trust me when I say chord inversions is a game changer. Actually during the 18th century we had to play without the black keys. When I gave Beethoven lessons I told him to visualize the sharps from the flats

[@Rayoflight888]

I have difficulty going from one inversion to another, with the changing fingering and keeping track. So this helped me, especially with using the sharps as bookmarks or navigation. Thanks !

[@rebeccamiller4983]

This is a very important lesson! It actually looks like fun to me, even though I know I will have to get through the awkward stage first. But looks like it will be well worth it. I have mastered my major minor and diminished scales which has helped me a lot. Now this great exercise will take me to another level. Thank you!

[@mehdiyoutube6732]

I love your energy! I find you soo easy to understand Lisa. Thank you soo soo much 🙏🏽❤️

[@Guillen_music]

Invrsions are so important to facilitate playing songs more efficient that it is certainly worth the constant practise. Thank for a very encouraging lesson

[@maverickmongoose8107]

Every time I watch one of your videos I fall in love all over again.

[@777WOY]

I have to tell you I appreciate the way you teach me make it simple enough fun adult child to understand😊 thank you for your sweet patient voice.

[@lisabenavidez8350]

Thank you for being so clear. I love your videos!

[@donahvanhollis9652]

I don’t say much here but you are the most awesome piano teacher there is🙏🏾🌟

[@bikashbilung7339]

Inversions seemed like big thing earlier but Pianote made it obvious. It is very simple now. I played chords with root position before. Now i can play with inversions. :)Thanks pianote team.

[@mikeperreault8939]

Just love it when you sing. You have a beautiful voice.

[@williamb6845]

This sounds wonderful already!! It offers much more sound dynamic in what I'm playing. Or to put it simply, it's less boring. Great lesson presentation, too, with her endless optimism!!

[@PianoteOfficial]

Thank you so much!

[@MrRestorem]

I love anything about how to practice. Excellent. Many thanks!

[@duchessamanda1512]

She's such as good teacher!!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Great advice about practicing them with your eyes closed. I'm getting to about 50% success. Word of warning. Don't put on the blindfold until you get to the piano. Another thing I try is stabbing the notes of the inversions using different fingers. Same with scales, since if you know the scales you know your inversions.

[@denisemckinley3348]

Awesome thanks for helping me get excited again about my piano playing.

[@lexluther971]

Gr8 Lisa thanx again gr8 exercise again Im pickin this up very fast indeed Im the old man from auckland New Zealand we are the Corona Virus free nation at the bottom of our World. 11th November 2020 .Im still a 3yr beginner but learning pretty Im sounding real good enjoying it. I work on a construction site & sooo look forward to get home to playin my piano & doin the exercises practice practice study play practice thanks Lisa keep it coming girl amazing.

[@davmandave]

I'm just trying to make goofy tracks in FL Studio, yet here I am practicing chord inversions on my 25 Key midi controller. Great tutorial.

[@matsysmellsbetterthanyou]

Been a guitarist since I was big enough to hold one but I want to kick myself every day for not going piano first. I know basic theory and can slowly feel my way around on piano (or click out MIDI how I want it), but I know I NEED to stop doing this sort of slapdash, half-baked piano technique stuff and actually learn things the right way before I solidify bad habits. Loving your content because it strikes right at the heart of those bad habits with easy-to-follow exercises. Plus, you've got a very uplifting and jovial sort of bubbliness in your "teacher voice" that makes everything that much more cogent. Thank you!

[@dzyahscloud8256]

That is one of my exercises in my piano lessons at the moment, I'm finding it bit challenging but the more I practice the better it feels to me.

[@frankortega4280]

Inversions are critical to playing through chord progressions efficiently. Good lesson. Thank you for sharing.

[@cccootje3978]

Great excercise, just feeling overwhelmed by the thought of having to do this for every chord 😅

[@kevlofi]

Same! Wishing you the best on your journey. You got this.

[@pennyredproductions]

Your videos are fantastic. Thank you.. I practice these arpeggios daily. I’m trying to learn using my left hand to chord at the moment

[@cesarpaula635]

Inversions can be tricky, but oh how powerful and how useful they are! Thanks

[@martinneltner5813]

Nice to revisit and have a reminder put you on track to add this to daily practice. Thanks Lisa

[@Rene-uz3eb]

This makes the most sense to me to practice in pairs, thanks

[@aquariushufflepuff4543]

I can't thank you enough for all of these very helpful videos! As an adult beginner, I was really intimidated by the piano, idk why. I wasn't even intimidated by the guitar when I started teaching myself how to play it when I was a kid. Maybe because I always thought to myself that learning the piano is more difficult than learning the guitar. But man, was I so wrong. I've learned so much about music theory more through learning the piano than when I learned playing the guitar. I've had this digital keyboard with me just sitting in the corner of my room for 4 years now and I never once attempted to try learning it until I once stumbled upon one of your videos during this quarantine. You're so easy to listen to and your enthusiasm is very encouraging. And so I just started learning on my own 2 weeks ago, through your videos (because thats just how an amazing of a teacher you are😊). I'm right-handed and im already very impressed with my dexterity on both hands (thanks to my years of playing the guitar), especially on my left despite not having played the piano before. Also, on most of my exercises, I sometimes find myself watching more on where my right hand goes than on my left, its like it was already dependent on its own from the beginning. However, when I start playing songs with accompaniment my left hand is somewhat slow on transitions with chords so its where I mostly keep an eye on while playing. Sometimes I get confused watching the chords on tutorials being inverted and with this lesson, now I finally understand why most people do it. It makes so much sense now. Thank you so much!! You have been such a great help, really. 😊 Keep posting! Im binge-watching!

[@PianoteOfficial]

Wow. This makes me so happy. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and congratulations on everything you've done so far! If you'd like some structured lessons, we do have a membership at www.pianote.com which includes weekly live Q&A sessions with me. Have fun playing your chords and binge-watching! :)

[@catcayen]

Such a useful video. I am a very new player but am quickly realizing the value of inversions.

[@nauvalarvie7208]

When i first saw inversion on KZbin piano tutorial... she said it was "Bm" but i was confused i just follow through... haha. Then i realised that the key is same like "Bm" it was just inverted!!! Haha, mind blowing 🤯😭. How stoopid i am

[@moontan91]

thanks about reminding me/us about the importance of proper fingering for each inversion. i usually tend to use a random fingering depending on things like weather condition. lol

[@noemiabalos8958]

You really help me to understand inversions in the simplest way. Gives me the motivation to practice more and more. Thank you very much😍.More lessons, please😁

[@elisabethsaltares3040]

Wow yr an awesome piano teacher . I love the way you teach the inversions easier to understand , im going foward now .

[@anitamorrison5426]

Thank you so much it is so clear now 1 st 2nd ect. now i understand at last. Your so clear in your teaching. Anita

[@opertinicy]

no matter how long you've been playing, it's a great lesson to practice music theory like in this video. thanks for sharing!

[@jimredner2649]

Thank you so much for demonstrating the correct way to practice inversions. I am left handed, but for some reason, I have trouble getting my left hand to cooperate. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@beachlife8367]

I wanted to find a way to Thumbs Up this video over and over again! I was like Ohhhh as I watched this video! Makes so much sense!

[@ChandrajeetPratapSinghCJay]

Amazing tutorial....it worked...i can now do inversions...thanks pinaote

[@vlaseansmithen3305]

Thanks again! Very simple yet important!

[@prowellerable]

Your videos are helping me with my discipline. I can play the inversions but I still get clumsy and sloppy when I break them up. You help me practice my technique. Thanks so much.

[@tammymasson2343]

Thank you so much for addressing this and walking us through this! This has always been my most disliked thing, although the more I do it the less I hate it. 😂 This video has inspired me to have a better attitude. I like the idea of using a black key for orientation!

[@VOmaker]

Practicing chords and inversions is like practicing scales; it's a life-long pursuit. I'm working on them but it can be slow and tedious sometimes. However, understanding them and why they are useful is probably the easiest part of inversions. Something I would like to see a video on (and maybe there's one coming in the Foundations course) is how to make the decision to use them, I would also like to better understand the nomenclature of things like F over C (F/C - it that the correct notation?). During part one of Amazing Grace, I sat down and worked out all the chords and practiced moving around to them as best I could, and then started looking for where inversions would work better. I found it made sense to go from the root F to the Bb in second inversion and also to the C in second inversion. So now I "plan" ahead of time which inversions seem to make sense and then practice with them. Sure enough, when I got to part two of Amazing Grace, Brett took us to the Bb and C in second inversion. And I actually went ahead in the books (book 4, I think) to read the lesson about inversions. I think the main benefit of inversions is that we don't have to move over the keyboard in giant leaps, we can do it in small steps instead. (How am I doin', Teach?) :)

[@doninetexas]

F/C is an inversion of a F chord --- C is the bottom note. F/A is another inversion where A is the bottom note. C chord: C/E - E bottom note C/G G bottom note.

[@PianoteOfficial]

Fantastic questions, Don! You're definitely getting it :) Deciding what inversion to use often depends most on the chord progression you're playing. We have a lesson on that here (In Quick Tips in the Members Area as well): kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJjSaZKOeq2hrK8 As for the chord symbols etc we have a lesson on that here as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4iTd6aMaqh8lbc FYI I'm posting public lessons here because this is KZbin. If you'd like to ask your question in the live Q&A in the Members Area I can answer it during a weekly live lesson!

[@Mikados_Advark12]

Nice one Don - those are the questions I am asking too

[@JessicaChloé-ChristHeart]

I forgot I was left handed practicing this, and I felt reassured when I got my L' hand right off! Yay to inversions in learning!

[@jerinthomas2685]

Hi ..I found your lesson is very helpful and graceful..keep doing this good work...😍

[@horrormaniac1433]

hi pionte...thank you for all of your tutorials, i have learned a lot from your videos. If you can please make a video on how to practice sensitivity on piano, that will be of great help.

[@KevyJBeatzBangerzfromBelow]

just 2minutes into the video and you unlocked my brain! "you are amazing lady!~ thank you. Now on to the rest of the video! lol

[@jimmyponds5504]

I enjoy your presentations! I think I know the inversions of the more basic/beginning chords (C, G, F, etc.) but THINKING to use/play the inversions is the tricky part for me. I cannot seem to get out of the root position mentality! ha

[@luizasilva6822]

Great lesson, thank you so much! Practicing inversions became much easier. What still baffles me, though, is to identify inversions in the scores (and avoid mistaking them for the chord which corresponds to the first note of the inversion). Is there a tip for that???

[@Divayves]

Amazing stuff. I have sore fingers and hands, but I see that practicing this is a requirement every day to build up my ability and confidence.

[@subhashverma601]

Hey from India.....I m shreya ....ur new subscriber...and ur lessons really helps me play better and it forces me to play piano everyday❤️

[@backyardedengardening3416]

Thanks for your encouragement!

[@Home-rn9eo]

Thankyou so much I was waiting for this

[@dave9547]

Could you possibly suggest an order to learn the inversions in please?! From there we could write them down and work through them sequentially? Also, how long should one stay on D major? Until its second nature? Or is it best to chip away at many different inversions at the same time? Hope to hear from you! Thanks!

[@valakatz3967]

thanks again nice patern, i am going to try tonight

[@chriscodling6573]

You can use the circle fifths to guide your practice

[@vineeth7818]

Thank you very much 🥰🥰❤️ Love from India❤️

[@hunnedbeats]

inverions help me alot because i play by ear not reading notes! thank you

[@Spikychckn]

Hi it’s very helpful and you are a wonderful teacher.

[@belay626]

Thanks Lisa !!! love your teachings !!!!

[@grandstandforpiano1822]

Wow! It's really helpful, and I'm grateful for your time and effort in creating it! Thank you!

[@alirezaamindehghan4887]

love from Iran

[@cyberpunk6367]

Thank you! I love how you explain things in your different videos and your bubbly personality. I'm brand new to this but I think your videos will be extremely helpful. Thank you again 😊

[@tizieB]

Amazing. Your lessons are very interesting and easy to comprehend. Keep up the good. Work

[@VirtusLenon]

Hi! Just want to thank you! Maraming Salamat! :)

[@bulleric]

This channel is boosting my piano skills better as everything else what i saw :) thank you so much. Easy to understand. I have the feeling that all the patterns on are repeating always on the keys

[@Mikados_Advark12]

Lisa - you are a great and enthusiastic teacher - love it - such a lovely lady too

[@donaldstirgus2243]

This video was very insightful . I was practicing from C but not I'll do both

[@andrewbramleycareerwarriors]

Great explanation and practice suggestion

[@therealshebajordan8395]

I love this! Thank you! I feel stuck often because I haven’t mastered inversions yet.

[@r.laishram2227]

Hello madam i like your teaching style, ur movementstyle and ur hair style😊

[@royhadley686]

Great instruction.

[@techmusicprodigy]

U MAKE PIANO AWESOME! 🙌 Best Piano Teacher!!

[@SS-ro4dy]

You are great. Really helpful.