Learn All 72 Piano Chord Inversions With ONE Exercise (Pivot Note Drill)

Duration: 14:41 2221 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

This lesson introduces a comprehensive exercise designed to help pianists master all 72 possible inversions for major and minor triads using a single "pivot note" drill. The core concept involves selecting one specific note, such as D, and identifying every major and minor chord where that note functions as the root, third, or fifth. By anchoring this pivot note in different octaves—specifically at the bottom, top, and middle of the keyboard—the player systematically works through six unique chords for each position. This method ensures that all inversions are practiced within a cohesive musical ecosystem rather than in isolation, allowing the musician to understand how these chords relate functionally while maintaining a consistent hand position or pattern. The practice routine progresses by shifting the anchor note's location to explore different voicings and inversions for the same set of six chords. When the pivot note is placed at the bottom, the player performs root positions and first inversions; moving the anchor to the top requires utilizing second inversions, while placing it in the middle covers the remaining possibilities. The instructor suggests various techniques to enhance this drill, such as playing identical patterns in both hands simultaneously, singing the chord roots to train the ear, or alternating between major and minor chords to maintain engagement. This tactical approach not only builds muscle memory for specific shapes but also reinforces theoretical knowledge about chord construction and intervallic relationships, preparing the player to apply these connections in actual songwriting and improvisation. To reach the full goal of covering all 72 shapes, the exercise expands by introducing a second anchor note that is the tritone away from the first, such as moving from D to A-flat. This strategic choice generates a new set of six chords for each octave position, effectively doubling the unique combinations without requiring the player to learn entirely unrelated material. Once the initial 36 shapes are mastered through this mirrored process, the remaining chords become significantly easier to grasp because they follow the same logical patterns and functional relationships already established. The lesson concludes by encouraging learners to utilize digital tools like the Chord Trees app for further exploration of complex chord types, such as suspended chords and sevenths, while inviting viewers to support the channel through Patreon memberships or live workshops at the Nathaniel School of Music.

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[music] >> Hi everyone. This is Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music. In this lesson, it's going to be an exercise to practice every single major chord, every single minor chord, in every single inversion. So, that's 12 into two, 24, and 24 into three. Yeah, that's a lot, I guess. Whatever that number is. What is 24 into three? 72, I guess, right? Yeah. So, 72 shapes for major [clears throat] and minor chords are going to be done in a tiny YouTube lesson. I have no idea how we are going to get this done, but let's try. The first step would be to take a a single note, let's say D, and ask yourself how many triads have the note D in them, which are major and minor? Because this lesson we are learning major and minor chords. So, that will be the namesake chords, D major, D minor, >> [music] >> and then D, you ask yourself the question, D is the fifth of I am the fifth of what? So, D is the fifth of the G, which is G major. D is also the fifth of the G [music] minor. Then you can ask yourself the question because a chord is a has a root, a third, and a fifth interval. D is the root of the D major, D is the root of the D minor, D is [music] the fifth of the G, D is the fifth of the G minor. So, now you go D is the major third of which major chord, and D is the minor third of which minor chord? D is the third of the B flat major chord, D is the third of the B minor chord, isn't it? D is the third of the B flat. [music] D is the third of the B B flat, B minor, B flat, B minor. So, you basically have these six chords. Now, you need to work on the inversions. So, good way to work out your inversions for these six chords is to pivot or anchor one note at a specific position. And that note is the note you started with itself, which is D. So, D will start off with in the left position or maybe in the top position. Let's start with the left. So, that's the bottom position. D is here in the left side and you play all the six chords in no particular order. In fact, I don't encourage you to go D major and D minor immediately because that'll be a kind of an easy one, right? So, go major chords maybe, then do minor, and then come back to the root tonic minor. So, D major, G major, >> [music] >> B flat major, B minor, >> [music] >> G minor, D minor. That's a good order. So, tonic major, then >> [music] >> D is the fifth of the G major. Now, D is the third of the B [music] flat major. D is the minor third of the B minor. D is the perfect fifth [music] of the G minor. Finally, D is the root of the D minor. [music] And where is D along this whole journey? In the left side. So, automatically you've practiced six chords, unique chords, together in a very musical ecosystem with inversions. So, that's a good start, I guess. It's kind of tricky, but it's also kind of easy because this is how you should play chords in the first place. Okay? I'm going to go on now with D in the upper register. In the top, we've covered it in the bottom, right? And before we move forward, get your keyboards out and play along with me. Why not? You can pause the video and get it. And you'll also get a study material which covers each and every chord, each and every inversion. It's very easy. It will stay with you for life. All you have to do is become a Patreon member, and we'll also give you a an app which helps you to do all this pretty much as a composer, not just to practice this in an in a you know, just in a a pianist exercise kind of way. We have this app which is out called Chord Trees. You can go to the link in the description, and what's really cool about the app is you can choose to be full-on chromatic and get every single chord out of a note, or you can even go diatonic and go into kind of pop and rock mode. Or you can why you know, why why only do triads? What about a suspended chord that has D in it, right? That'll be maybe [music] a G sus4, or D is the sus4 of an A, or D is the major seventh of the >> [music] >> E flat, or D is the minor seventh of maybe the E minor seven flat five, or D is the what do you call it? The tritone of the maybe G sharp diminished chord. >> [music] >> All of that has D. So, if you need access to the entire gamut of stuff, it's available on the Chord Trees app, and you'll find all this in the description, and we we're building a lot of apps, so you can consider checking it out. Not only there, but be part of the Nathaniel ecosystem. Subscribe. Don't forget to do that. Then you'll get regular updates on our community. If you'd like to learn these apps in actual classes, do consider workshops and courses at our school where live lessons occur. And [snorts] don't forget to hit that subscribe and turn on the bell for regular notifications. Before we get started, that's pretty much the only way to get these videos out to you folks. And to basically provide fuel for these videos to live on on YouTube for a longer time. But hopefully a really long time. And yeah, that's about it. Let's continue to get cracking. So, you have the D which we finished off at the bottom. D major. G major. B flat major. And I encourage you to either do one of the things in the left hand. Do a ditto, carbon copy, parrot, whatever you want to call it in the left hand with respect to the right hand. >> [music] >> The same thing. D major, G major, >> [music] >> B flat major, B minor, G major, D minor. [music] Repeat. You can try different patterns for both hands. B flat. B minor. G minor. And finally, >> [music] >> D minor. You should also practice playing the roots of the chord in your left hand. So, I'll start with D major. >> [music] >> B flat. >> [music] >> B minor. G minor. D minor. You can go in the reverse. D minor, [music] G minor, B minor, B flat major, G major, D major. [music] You can also sing the roots to train your ear a bit more, I guess. Now, let's push D at the top and practice the same old six chords. D major, G major, [music] B flat major. You see, D is on the top. That means I have to use the right inversion. D major [music] would be played as F sharp A D. B flat major will be played as F B flat D. So, in other words, >> [music] >> the root position of D major, the inversion of B flat, the second inversion of B minor, and then [music] the root position of G major, root position of G minor, and so on. So, get used to that shape. So, that's six plus six. You know, we've got ourselves 12. >> [music] >> B minor, G minor, D major, [music] yeah, it goes on. D is kind of stuck as a wall or a anchor up there. You should also practice D in the middle. So, again, D major, G major, B flat major, [music] B minor, and then what's left? G minor. D [music] minor. So, you have this D in the in the center. So, with this ecosystem, you're basically getting six chords played in all the inversion possibilities. So, you mastered six chords in all their inversions. So, how you move forward is first of just understand the process. The target note or the anchor note was initially at the bottom and you played all the chords. >> [music] >> Then the target note was at the top and you played all the six chords. >> [music] >> Target note was in the middle and then you played again all the six chords. Hopefully the root in the left hand. >> [music] >> That's the majors and then minor. >> [music] >> Or you can carbon copy it. >> [music] >> Exactly in the left hand. So that'll [music] be D G B flat B minor G minor D minor. Now all this on D and you've kind of covered six chords all their three inversions. So six threes are 18 and you've got not only that you're also playing in a very tactical way. You're going to use these kinds of connections in actual songs. So what do you do now to take this number to the full number our target number which was 24 chords in total into three inversions 72 right? Yeah. So what [snorts] you can do then to generate another anchor note would be take the polar opposite of D at least in terms of the function and the circle of fifths. That would be its tritone. So that'll be A flat. So now you get all the options for A flat and go along the way. >> [music] >> A flat major A flat minor or A flat [music] is the fifth of the D or A flat is the fifth of the D flat or C sharp and A flat [music] is the third of the E or A flat is the minor third of the F. So like that you'll have six options. A flat major D flat [music] major and then E major E minor [singing] and then [music] A flat minor and then C sharp minor. Okay, I started in the wrong order. Let's do that again. A flat major [music] and A flat is all on the top or G sharp if you want to call it that. You'll have to call it both words because the major chord E, we call that note G sharp while the major chord A flat, we just call that note as A flat, right? So, let's roll that again with A flat at the E bottom. A flat [music] major D flat major E major major third >> [music] >> F [singing] minor minor third and then C sharp minor perfect fifth [music] and back to the minor tonic. Okay, so all of these chords I reckon we have not done at all for the D key, right? So, it automatically gives us six brand new chords major and minor in a nice combo of three major three minor and another six threes are 18. So, that will give you 36 now. 36 out of 72 is half of the way. So, basically now if you want to get unique possibilities, you're doing D it's tritone which is A flat. So, let's consider putting F at the top. F major B flat major >> [music] >> D flat major. So, you see now I have that D flat major which has repeated and then [music] D flat minor [singing] D minor which has repeated. So, it starts getting easier once you do the first tritone you will get 36 unique options. You can take any tritone. It could even be C and F sharp or A and E flat or G and D flat and F and B so on and so forth. Once you get that you've got 36 and then the it's going to get exponentially easier. So the first 36 you have to work. That's six into three, that's 18 shapes. Major and minor into two, 36. Then the remaining 30, you have no idea how much more easier it'll get. It'll If it took you about, you know, a week to do 36 chords, it'll take you two days to do the remaining 36 or maybe less. So, that's about the exercise, everyone. Hope you found it useful. And do consider using our chord theory app to actually apply these concepts musically to help you improvise and compose and also practice the piano. The notes are available on our Patreon as a study guide. Do consider getting yourselves a copy and the app is also there. Do consider heading over there and you can also support our channel by going [clears throat] to the app pages and, you know, considering to support it or you can become a Patreon member or whatever works for you. And if you'd like to learn any of this live, do consider a course at Nathaniel School of Music. Okay? I will catch you in the next one. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Cheers.