What are voicings in jazz and how are they different from chord inversions?

Chord voicings are a specific arrangement of the notes of a chord. The most basic jazz guitar chord voicings are called Drop 2 and Drop 3. Chord Inversions are chords that don't have their root note as the lowest note.

1. Are inversions and voicings the same?
2. What is an inversion in jazz?
3. What are inverted voicings?
4. How do you tell the difference between chord and inversion?

Are inversions and voicings the same?

'Inversion' only refers to what note in the chord is lowest, and thus belongs to the bassline, whereas 'voicing' (or 'voice leading') is a more general notion of how a chord is 'realized' across all the voices in a piece.

What is an inversion in jazz?

Inversions are chords that don't have their root note in the bass. Instead they have the 3, 5, or 7 as the lowest note of the chord shape. Chord inversions are written with a slash: For example: Cmaj7/E.

What are inverted voicings?

An inverted chord is a chord whose notes are stacked in a different order. In other words, the notes of a chord, whether it is a triad (containing just three notes) or a tetrad (built with four notes), can be reshuffled in a different way.

How do you tell the difference between chord and inversion?

A more reliable approach is to start listening out for which note is at the top (or the bottom) of the chord. For example, if you can hear that the root of the chord is on top, you know it is the first inversion of the chord. If it is the third of the chord on top, it is the second inversion, and so on.