Understanding how to read these chords is simple - the letter to the left of the slash is the type of chord - so in this case it is "C" chord (aka a C major chord). The note to the right of the slash is the bass note in the chord - a "G" in this circumstance. So, a C/G chord is a C major chord with the note G in the bass. If you study the chord in part three, you can clearly see the C major chord, with the G on the third fret of the sixth string also being fretted in the bass. Here are a few of the many common slash chords: D/F# - (pronounced "D over F#") - a standard Dmajor chord with an F# in the bass, usually played by wrapping the thumb around the neck of the guitar, and fretting the second fret of the sixth string. A/C# - (pronounced "A over C#") - An Amajor chord with a C# in the bass, usually played by barring the second fret of the fourth, third, and second strings with your first finger, and playing the fourth fret of the fifth string (the C#) with either the third finger, or the pinky finger. C/E - (pronounced "C over E") - A Cmajor chord with an E in the bass, usually played by simply fretting a Cmajor chord, and including the open low E string in the strum. Amin/G - (pronounced "A minor over G") - An Aminor chord, with a G in the bass, usually played by fretting an Aminor chord, and using the pinky finger play the third fret of the sixth string (the "G").
The first time anyone ever comes across a slash chord, he immediately says HUH? Well, they are really not that hard to figure out. Let's look at G/B. It is read G over B. What you do is play a G major chord with a B as the bass note (The B is the lowest note of the chord). The G major chord's notes are G, B, and D. If you look at the diagram of G/B, you will notice that it has all the notes of the G major chord. The only difference is that the B is the lowest note, instead of the G. That is why it is named G/B instead of G. You might ask why they name chords this way. It is just for clarifying the chord voicing. If you just said play a G major chord, I doubt that you would play G/B, but if I said play G/B, you would be forced to put that B as the lowest note in the chord. In the examples below I gave you three slash chords to look at. You will notice that the bass note is always a chord tone of the underlying chord as I explained above.
You will notice that the bass note is always a chord tone of the underlying chord as I explained above.
Things to Try: * Invent slash chords, by simply thinking of a chord type, then picking a random note to play in the bass. Next, try and figure out how to play these chords. They may not sound wonderful, but you may stumble upon some that you like. And, it's great practice for learning note names on the fretboard. * Try making up some chord progressions that use the above, or other slash chords. Here are a couple to get you started: Amin - Amin/G - Fmaj, or Gmaj - D/F# - Emin, or Dmin - Dmin/C - G/B - Cmaj . __________________
nice post man. I learnt playing chords like this too. Makes it easier to play the real chords. Good for the beginners.
