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Chord Inversion Tab

In the Chord Inversion tab of the Chord Properties window, shown in the following figure, you specify the inversions allowed for each chord in the four chord levels.

Chord Properties Chord Inversion tab

The Chord Inversion tab contains the following elements:

Transposing some notes in a part up or down an octave when a chord is encountered inverts the chord. By default, all possible inversions are allowed. However, if you determine that some inversions are unacceptable, you can disable them by using this tab. In this case, the Inversion Boundaries of the part are temporarily overridden so that the notes are not transposed, and certain inversions of the chord are prevented.

For example, consider a part that contains a row of notes in a scale: C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, and B5. This part has an upper inversion boundary of G6, and a lower inversion boundary of G4. The notes transpose up or down to conform to various chords. If notes in a chord exceed the inversion boundaries, these notes transpose an octave up or down as required. The following table shows the behavior of the part as it encounters various chords.

Original notes Chord encountered Inversion boundary exceeded Resulting notes Comments
C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, B5 2GM7 None G5, A5, B5, C6, D6, E6, F#6 All notes are within boundaries.
C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, B5 2AM7 G6 A5, B5, C#6, D6, E6, F#5, G#5 G#6 exceeds the high boundary. G# and the F# below it are transposed down.
C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, B5 1GM7 None G4, A4, B4, C5, D5, E5, F#5 All notes are within boundaries.
C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, B5 1FM7 G4 F5, G4, A4, Bb4, C5, D5, E5 F4 exceeds the low boundary and is transposed.
C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, B5 2BM7 G6 B5, C#6, D#6, E6, F#5, G#5, A#5 A#6 and G#6 exceed the high boundary. A#, G#, and the F# below it are transposed down.

In the preceding table, two chords exceed the inversion boundaries and some notes are transposed. Any note that exceeds the boundary transposes up or down an octave. In addition, the note directly below the transposed note also transposes.

The 2 B M7 chord in the table causes the part to play with F#, G#, and A# transposed down. This creates the sound of a second inversion B major 7 chord. You can disallow this inversion, so that the part continues to play the F# in the same octave as the notes that precede it. The part then plays B5, C#6, D#6, E6, F#6, G#5, and A#5. This creates an octave split between the notes F# and G#. You can also disallow the third inversion of the chord, so no break occurs and all the original notes play in the same octave.

You can allow or disallow certain inversions of a chord in each of the four levels of the chord. These settings affect all instrument parts that play the chord level, in any pattern that encounters the chord.


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