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New Released in April 2026
How to Practice Inversions Until They Are Automatic
Knowing what an inversion is takes a minute. Learning how to practice inversions so your hand finds them without thinking takes a few weeks of short, regular drills. Here are five, from the simplest to the most musical.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Five drills
- The ladder: play C in root position, first inversion, second inversion and root position an octave up, then back down. Repeat with every chord you know.
- Same top note: play C, F and G so that the highest note stays on G or C. You will need a different inversion for each.
- Nearest shape: C to Am to F to G, moving each finger as little as possible.
- Name the bass: play a random inversion and say the bass note and the position out loud.
- Random chords: chord names arrive in random order and you play the nearest inversion each time.
Spot an inversion at a glance
Root position has even gaps, like two thirds stacked. First inversion has its wider gap at the top (E G, then C). Second inversion has it at the bottom (G, then C E). The note just above the wide gap is always the root.
How to Practice Inversions Until They Are Automatic
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.
Play the demoHow long each drill takes
Two minutes per drill is enough. Five drills a day for two weeks and most players stop thinking about which inversion to use: the hand simply reaches for the closest one.
The random part, done for you
The fifth drill is where a game helps. ChordRunner sends chord names in random order, accepts any inversion as correct and checks every note on a MIDI keyboard or through the microphone. Its practice keyboard can also show the root position and both inversions of any chord before you play it.
The levels in ChordRunner
- Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
- Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
- Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
- Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.
Common questions
How do I practice chord inversions?
Start with the inversion ladder on one chord, then voice-lead C, F and G with the nearest shapes, then play random chord names using the closest inversion each time.
How do I identify a triad inversion?
Find the wider gap between notes. If it is at the top, it is first inversion; at the bottom, second inversion. The note above the wide gap is the root.
How long does it take to learn inversions?
With ten minutes a day, about two weeks for major and minor triads in a few keys, and longer to have them in all 12 keys.
Which instruments work?
A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.
How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?
Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.
Is everything in the demo?
The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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