There is no harmonic difference between basic chords and their inversions. So why should we use an inversion rather than a fundamental chord? And how do we know which one to play?
It actually depends.
We can choose to play an inversion instead of the basic chord because we know that the inversion will make us make fewer movements than if we were playing the chord. For example, if we play the series: C major inversion followed by the G major chord. Our hand doesn’t move, only our fingers do. By contrast, if wanted to use the the basic chord in this series, that is, the C major chord. We would have to move our hand along the keyboard by a few keys.
We can also use inversions to emphasise specific notes. For instance, the c major inversion followed by the F major chord will make the C note more prominent. In fact, when we choose an inversion we have to remember that high notes are more prominent.
Finally, we can also choose to play inversions because we prefer the way the inversion sounds.
For example, in his famous track “Song for Guy” , Elton John uses the second inversion of a major chord, the first inversion of a minor chord, and then the first inversion of the same major chord.