Slash Chords For Guitar – Theory And Shapes

A slash chord in music refers to a chord written in the form “X/Y,” where X is the chord’s root note, and Y is the bass note.

This indicates that the chord should be played with a bass note different from its root. The symbol “/” (slash) is used to separate the chord and the bass note.

Example with C major : A basic C major chord is made of three notes that are C (root) E (third) G (fifth).

When putting the fifth (G) in the bass, we get a new voicing (G C E) which is named “C major chord with fifth in the bass”. This chord will be noted C/G.