First, I'm a hobbyist, NOT a pro player with a lot of musical training. I began on a chord organ, and I've been working my way up from so-called "one finger" chords. I've expanded my repertoire a lot, but I'm still struggling with so-called on-bass chords. I even bought a set of foot pedals, but I ended up trading them in before I really got a chance to practice. (I usually play standing and I didn't have room to store them or set them up .)

Rolands & Korgs have a bass inversion button on the console which can also be linked to a foot switch function. This gives me a couple of options:
1) Learn the song with bass inversion enabled (which forces me to play all non-slash chords in root position, sometimes requiring additional left-hand movements)
2) Play most of the song using various chord inversions to minimize hand movement. Press the pedal to activate bass inversion right before the slash chord, and press it again to turn it off after the chord has been played.

I can't help but think that for someone using approach #2, it would have been better if the bass inversion function for the foot switch would have been programmed as a *momentary* setting that reverts to "off" as soon as the pedal is released.

So what's the consensus here: Do you play the whole song being mindful of your chord roots, or do you turn Bass Inversion on and off during the song?
Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom,
Ted

During a song very rarely unless a certain song calls for that kind of bass line.....but, I do use inverted chords all the time while playing. I don't like the use of pedals.

Hi Ted, I always keep it one way or the other during a song. However, it is important to get used to both ways of playing since some songs and styles really do require the "fingered on bass" (slash chord) setting.

I only need it for descending bass lines, like in Piano Man or Whiter Shade of Pale. It's great that Korg puts the button right at your fingertips , instead of searching through menus.

If referring to chord playing, it stays on ALL the time, period! I would never buy a keyboard without this feature.

ALL the time? Really? Then, I guess you have to always play the chords in root position to hear the correct bass note for the majority of the patterns that are dependent on the tonic for the tonality. Interesting.

The bass on button is a must...and yes I will turn it on and off during a song..Roland also has dedicated button..

I never play left hand in root position...sometimes I am playing a sound in the left hand that needs the smoothness of a chord change...that root position will not give me...

In full piano mode..I almost always keep bass inversion on..since it is natural to play a root bass or any other choice in this mode..