The examples in Figures 10-16 through 10-18 use the C major chord to
illustrate.If you already have a melody, you will find the melody useful in determining
your chord voicings. Most often you will want the melody to represent the
top notes in your chords. This will dictate which voicings sound best. If you
don’t have a melody yet, choosing your chord voicings can help you write
one. Try a few chord voicing changes and have your melody grab the top
notes. If you don’t like the results, invert some chords and try again. Don’t
forget to use some passing tones while you are at it.&4
4 ww
w
C
Figure 10-18:
Second
inversion for
a C major
chord
&4
(^4) w
w
w
C
Figure 10-17:
First
inversion for
a C major
chord.
&4
4
w
w
w
C
Figure 10-16:
Root voicing
for a
C major
chord.
Chapter 10: Composing with Chords 111