Document

Page 112
Third inversions usually occur as passing chords. In the verse of Air's 'Remember' we find this:

I iiiI7 iIV V

Eb Eb/Db Ab/C Bb

Inversions are not often used by songwriting guitarists. They can be difficult to finger, or it may be hard to find one
that sounds as good as the equivalent root chord. One way round this problem is to have the bass guitar play the
appropriate note to create the inversion while the guitar plays a root chord, as on the verses of 'Waterloo Sunset'.
Inversions are more frequently heard in the songs of writers associated with the piano, such as Elton John and Kate
Bush. On a keyboard, an inversion can be created easily by moving the left hand up a few keys. 'This Woman's
Work' gains much of its expressive power from its inversions; for example, a IV V I II progression becomes iIV iV
iI II (Db/F Eb/G Ab/C Bbm). There are plenty of inversions in 'Everything I Do (I Do It For You) and 'Heaven Can
Wait'.
They also turn up in mid-period Dire Straits and in the verse of 'Cherish', where the synth bass moves onto some
inverted notes.

Using Inversions
Inversions can enliven a simple three-chord trick: try E B A as E B/D# A/C#. Inversions also allow you to stretch a
three-chord turnaround: C F G becomes C C/E F G over four bars. In 'Anchorage' Michelle Shocked extends a three
chord change in a similar manner: G D/F# C D. In 'Novocaine For The Soul', there is frequent use of a I-IVm chord
change; toward the end of the song, this alternates with I-iIVm, a first inversion of the F#m. The change is audible
and expressive – a good example of attention to detail. Another example is the main theme for the film Wag The
Dog, written by Mark Knopfler. The basic sequence is:

I VII IVmaj VI VII

Am G D F G

But the third chord is inverted to create a descending bass line:

I VII iIVmaj VI VII

Am G D/F# F G

Inversions play a significant role in the eight-bar verse of Gabrielle's 'Give Me Just A Little More Time':

I iV VI V IV iI iIImaj V

Bb F/A Gm F Eb Bb/D C/E F

Inversions are crucial to 'When A Man Loves A Woman', 'Baby Now That I've Found You', 'Stay With Me Till
Dawn', 'Circle', 'What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted', 'Mama', 'Perfect Circle', 'The Mighty Quinn', 'Say What
You Want, the intro of 'Desperate People' and the coda of 'On Every Street'. It is especially worthwhile studying
'What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted' for a whole string of inversions to hear what they can do.
Many of the Beach Boys' songs from the Pet Sounds era, written by Brian Wilson, make good use of inversions. The
realisation that the bass did not always