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Two chords are related by inversion if both contain the same pitch classes and have the same root, but have different pitch classes in the bass or lowest-sounding position. In the case of the triad, a root-position chord has the root in the bass with the third and fifth above. If, however, the third is the lowest-sounding pitch, the chord is in first inversion, and if the fifth is the lowest, the chord is in second inversion (New Harvard Dictionary of Music)