In this free guitar lesson, I explain what slash chords are in music, why composers use them, and when you might choose to skip them while reading a chart.
First off, slash chords do not refer to the guitarist known as Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame. The term slash refers to the use of a forward slash in a chord name such as G/B, C/G, or D/F#. Whenever a chord name includes a forward slash, the letter before the slash is the basic chord and the letter after the slash is the alternate bass note. Normally, when you play a G chord, you have a G note in the lowest or bass position. The chord G/B is a G chord but with a B note in the bass position. This means you would begin strumming on B and leave the G note below it (as well as the string) out. You can also play this chord by fretting the 3rd fret of the second string too. You would call any version of a G chord with B in the bass “G with B in the bass” or “G over B” or “G/B.”
This chord shape is used often on guitar. A few examples include “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, and “Tom Sawyer” by Rush. Using G/B in these cases makes for a nice step-down motion in the bass. Notice how the B note bridges the gap between C and A.
Using Slash Chords On Guitar
This same type of movement is often done using the chords G, D/F#, and Em. The F# note is the 3rd in the D chord. I like to use my thumb to fret the F#. Others prefer to use their index finger on F# and then their remaining fingers to build the D shape, sometimes leaving the first string out to simplify. You hear D/F# used at the beginning of “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. You also hear D/F# used along with A and G in “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC.
Some common alternate bass notes for a C chord include C/G and C/E. C/G is used at the beginning of the verse to “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd. It’s followed by a D/F#. Using these alternate bass notes gives the chords a lower tonality and creates a more interesting sound in the low end. C/E is used in “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots. The verse in this song uses the chords G, D/F#, F, C/E, and Ebmaj7. C/E is used later in the bridge as well.
Sometimes slash chords are created when two different guitar parts are combined. For example, the bridge to “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield features a guitar pedaling on a G bass note and another guitar playing the chords G, D, and A. Technically, the sound you hear is G with G in the bass, D/G, and A/G, but this sound is produced by two different guitars.
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Sometimes slash chords can be left to bass players only. The interlude section to “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz features the chords B, F#/A#, G#m, F#, and E. These chord changes are based on a descending B major scale in the bass. The F#/A# chord could be played using a few different chord forms such as “C form, ” “D form, ” or “E form, ’ if you’re familiar with the CAGED chord system, but any one of these options is tricky to play. So, another option is to play a plain F# chord and let the bass player play the A# note.
When a bass player plays an alternate bass note, it really doesn’t matter if the guitar player follows or not. Because the bass guitar is so strong in the low end, any note played on it will clearly be established as the bass note regardless of what the other instruments play.
Keep this in mind when you play songs from chord charts and a bass player is present. Any time you see a slash chord, you can simply play the chord before the slash and let the bassist play what comes after the slash. In many cases, there’s no need to play Twister with your fingers as you try to grab an alternate bass note on your guitar if the bass player is going to play the note for you. On the other hand, if you’re a bass player, you can ignore what comes first in a slash chord and focus only on what comes second because that’s your job.Slash chords have been used by artists in all genres, so regardless of your style, they’ll be valuable for you. After reading this, you’ll know what slash chords are, why we use them, and how to make better music with them.
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If you clicked on this blog hoping to sound more like Guns N’ Roses, you might be disappointed – you won’t find those kind of slash chords here. However, if you’ve got an appetite for chord construction, you’re in the right place!
For example, when you see a chord notated as C/G, it means you play a C chord with the note G in the bass.
First, play the simple open C chord. Then, give the voicing for C/G a try. Notice how the two chords have slightly different characters in sound.
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Technically, you can combine any bass note with any chord, but the most common slash chords are based on chord inversions. A chord inversion is when the order of notes in a chord is not in numerical order.
Let’s look at how a chord is built and what an inversion is. It’ll make it easier for you to figure how to make your own slash chords.
If you apply your knowledge of chord inversions to slash chords, you won’t be surprised to find out that the most common alternatives to a simple G chord are:
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If you don’t have a bass player, use slash chords to add a bass line into your progression. This can be a great substitute and keeps that vital backbone in your music.
For this example, here we want to connect a G to a C chord (I to IV chord). In order to create an ascending bass line (G - B - C), we sneak in a G/B in the middle.
Side note: This example uses a Cadd9 chord but if you’re not familiar with it, just think of it as a C chord.
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The reason this works so well, is because the note B is just a half step away from C. It leads effortlessly into the bass note of the next chord.
In this next example, we’ll connect the chords G and Em. The bass notes are all going to be on the lowest string.
On the low E string when they play voicings like the D/F# (if it’s good enough for Hendrix it’s good enough for us!).
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Once you’ve practiced some of the ideas we’ve already introduced, use the following steps to incorporate them into your own chord progressions – nothing beats putting new information to work right away!
Playing chord progressions using only simple triads is a great foundation, but there are loads of other options to give your songs some more personality.
These different notes will add an element of color. This could mean increasing tension, or adding a whole new quality to the chords sound. These colors help us paint a more expressive picture for the listener, and give greater control over the mood.
Open Tuning D#a#c#d#gd#
Extensions allow us to incorporate all seven notes of the major scale (or all notes of any other scales you’d like to use) in our chords.
If you wanted to use this chord as a slash chord with the extension as the bass note, all you have to do is find a chord voicing with the 9th as the lowest note.
Again, you could use our chord finder tool if you need help working out how to play this one. We’ve added the diagram below just to save you some time.
G#sus4 Guitar Chord
Notice the difference in the name of the chord. In this case, we leave out the “add” to indicate that the voicing not only has a 9th but also a 7th.
Note: This voicing omits the root note because it’s not always possible to pretzel your fingers into a shape where you can play all the notes. In that case, it’s common to leave out either the fifth or the root.
If a note within the chord is not found in the major scale, then it’s either a flat (b) or a sharp (#).
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In the original version, the harmony is mostly supported by a bass guitar and organ, but it’s a fun exercise to figure out how to translate the progression to the guitar.
Hopefully you can see how powerful of a tool slash chords are and have the knowledge to start applying them to your playing.
The next step would be to dive deeper into triad shapes and music theory. This way you can move past memorizing chord voicings and instead come up with your own slash chords.
G/d Chord (g Over D)
Whether you’re new to music theory or you would like to fill some
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