Inversions of the dominant seventh

Build and recognise the three inversions and the chords they resolve to.

Three inversions

A seventh chord has four notes, so it has three inversions. Like triad inversions, they are named after the intervals above the bass:

Inversion In the bass Figure

first third V6/5 second fifth V4/3 third seventh V2

Every inversion contains a second: the former seventh, turned upside down. The second is a clue: its upper note is the root.

The V7 on G4 and its three inversions

Practice: Name the inversion (1)

Practice: Name the inversion (2)

Practice: The root

Where they resolve

The voice-leading rules stay the same: the leading note rises to the tonic, the seventh falls a step. That decides which tonic triad you get:

• V6/5 → I (the leading note in the bass rises to the tonic);
• V4/3 → I or I6;
• V2 → I6 (the seventh in the bass falls to the third of the tonic).

The V6/5 of C major resolves to the tonic triad

The V4/3 resolves to the tonic triad

The V2 resolves to the tonic sixth chord

To name the inversion, find the second. At the top: first inversion. In the middle: second inversion. At the bottom, above the bass: third inversion. No second: root position.

Practice: Name the inversion (3)

Practice: Name the inversion (4)