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Chords & Harmony

Slash Chord

Definition

A slash chord is a chord symbol with a bass note after a slash, such as C/E or F/G. The letter before the slash names the chord; the letter after it names the lowest note to play.

A slash chord is a chord symbol with a second letter after a slash: C/E, G/B, F/G. Read it as "C over E". The letter before the slash names the chord, and the letter after it names the bass, the lowest note you play. Slash chords let a lead sheet say exactly which note belongs at the bottom, something a plain chord symbol leaves open.

Two kinds of slash chord

  • The bass is a chord tone. C/E puts E, the third of C major, in the bass; C/G puts G, the fifth, there. These are inversions: C/E is a first-inversion C chord, and G7/F is G7 in third inversion.
  • The bass is not in the chord. F/G puts G under an F major triad, which does not contain G. The result is a new, blended sound, in this case a soft-edged dominant chord that leads smoothly to C. C/D and B♭/C are built the same way.

Why musicians use them

The main reason is the bass line. Slash chords let the bass move by step while the chords above it change slowly or stay the same. Below, C – G/B – Am – Am/G – F walks the bass down C, B, A, G, F, a sound heard in countless songs and in Baroque bass lines alike.

Grand staff in 4/4, three bars. Right hand: E4 G4 C5 then D4 G4 D5; E4 A4 C5 twice; whole-note F4 A4 C5. Left hand: C3, B2, A2, G2, F2. Chord symbols C, G/B, Am, Am/G, F.
C – G/B – Am – Am/G – F. The bass steps down C, B, A, G, F while the right hand changes as little as possible. G/B is G major over its third; Am/G is A minor over G.

Slash chords also make pedal points easy to write (C – F/C – G/C – C keeps C in the bass throughout), and they name color chords like F/G that would be awkward to spell any other way.

Grand staff in 4/4, one bar. Right hand: F4 A4 C5, then E4 G4 C5. Left hand: G2, then C3. Chord symbols F/G and C.
F/G: an F major triad over a G bass. G is not a note of F major, so this is not an inversion; it works as a soft dominant chord and resolves to C.

How to play one

On the piano, play the bass note with the left hand and the chord with the right. On guitar, play the chord shape and make sure the named bass note is the lowest string that sounds; some slash chords need a new fingering, or a bass player, to get the right note at the bottom.

C/E: E in the left hand, and the C major chord (C, E, G) in the right.

Not the same as a Roman-numeral slash

In roman numeral analysis a slash means "of", not "over": V/V means "the dominant of the dominant", a secondary dominant. In chord symbols, the slash points to a bass note.

Practice with Reading a lead sheet and Realize a lead sheet.

Common questions

How do you read a slash chord like C/E?

Say "C over E": play a C major chord with E as the lowest note.

Is a slash chord the same as an inversion?

Sometimes. When the bass note belongs to the chord (C/E, C/G) the slash chord is an inversion. When it does not (F/G, C/D), it makes a different sound that is not an inversion of the chord before the slash.

Practice it: free worksheets