All triads contain three different notes. These notes can be duplicated and/or played in a different shape. When the lowest note in each of these three chords is the root note, the shape given is called the root position.When the third (3) is the lowest note of the chord shape, the chord is said to be the first inversion. The diagram below illustrates the three inversions of a G major chord, which contains the notes G, B and D.