The root position of a chord is the voicing of a triad, seventh chord, or ninth chord in which the root of the chord is the bass note and the other chord factors are above it. In the root position, of a C major triad, the bass is C—the root of the triad—with the third and the fifth stacked above it, forming the intervals of a third and a fifth above the root of C, respectively.

In the root position of G dominant seventh chord, the bass note is G, the root of the seventh chord.

In figured bass, a root-position triad has no symbol, while a root-position seventh chord is notated with a "7".

According to The American History and Encyclopedia of Music:

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See also

• Figured bass

• Inversion (music)

• First inversion

• Second inversion

• Third inversion

• Fourth inversion

References