In this first lesson in Creative Mandolin Backup, Sharon lays the groundwork for the rest of the course, focusing on finding and playing major triads and their chord inversions. In this video, Sharon shows how to find the root, first, and second inversions, and how to move each note up (or down) the neck to find the next available chord tone to create each chord inversion “stack.” She introduces chord inversion “neighborhoods” and shows how to connect chord stacks within the neighborhoods fluidly. Sharon also gives a detailed explanation and demonstration of proper left-hand posture, talking about the importance of a relaxed wrist and minimal pressure when playing.
Download the chord diagrams and Sharon’s explanations of chord inversion stacks and the most common bluegrass chord progression below. We've also included an MP33 download of a Play-Along Track for “Your Love Is Like a Flower” in the key of A, which Sharon uses to demonstrate playing chord inversions in Part 2.
