Trying to figure out what to call this sequence i have been playing… starting on a B…descending to e, then c. I know a c maj7 chord is c-e-g-b… R, 3, P5, 7. So what do you call a R, 3, 7 played in reverse?
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I believe that is called an inversion.
A chord inversion just changes the pitch order of notes in a chord. Which note is the lowest, etc. It doesn’t change the notes themselves, just which pitch they fall on. So for a major triad, normally lowest to highest you would have 1-3-5 - the root being the lowest pitch. The two inversions are 3-5-1 and 5-1-3, each with one or more notes in the octave below the root.
To me what he described simply sounds like three intervals being played. There is probably a name for the chord, but not every set of intervals needs a name 
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A R , 3, 5 in reverse is a descending triad. Forward it is an ascending triad. Same with scales, if you play them in reverse, they just the scale, but Descending instead of Ascending, the way we normally think of them.
I am not sure it is anything else.
Inversions are 3, 5, R or 5, R, 3
Without the 5th, its ‘character’ sounds like 2 minor intervals
Yep.
Just to be clear though (in case it becomes a question), inversions versus ascending/descending are two separate concepts. An inversion just specifies which octave and pitch order the notes in the chord fall in, and have nothing at all to do with the temporal order you play the notes in. This is two inversions of the same triad:
On the bass you usually play chord tones in an arpeggiated or otherwise incremental fashion; guitar and keyboards more often simultaneously. A chord is defined only by the specific notes in it and the key/mode, not the order in which the notes are played, and most often on most chording instruments, the notes are usually played all at once.
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In jazz it’s extremely common to leave out the perfect 5th out of 7th chords as it doesn’t add anything; you usually include it if it’s a b5 and leave out the 3rd.
It doesn’t matter if you play an arpeggio forwards or backwards, it’s still the same chord.
Similarly we don’t change the names of scales when we play them backwards either or the Major scale played in reverse would become the Phrygian mode.
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I just think of it as sending notes from the front of the line to the back 
C, E , G, B
E, G, B, C
G, B, C, E
B, C, E , G
There are also “open” and “closed” chord voicing too.
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That’s a good way to think about it 
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Are you playing it by itself or over something?
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