What are Slash Chords?

So called because of the slash in between two letters. 

The first thing to know is that if you see two letters together separated by a slash, it doesn't mean that you get to choose to play one or the other! The first letter represents the chord to play and the second letter represents the bass note to play under it. If you are a guitar player in a band then you could play the chord and ask the bass player to play the note underneath it. As a general rule, as a guitar player it can be harder to produce a slash chord but a piano player has no excuse!

So again, the first letter is the chord name and the second is the root you must play. This root can be the 1st, 3rd, 5th or 7th. So how do you play one? Well, if it's D/A you play D with A bass. It is quite easier to see on piano and because the piano has more bass to play with you will find that composers who are keyboard tend to use them a lot. So, why would you play a slash chord rather than just a chord with its 1st at the bottom ie. a root? Well, sometimes it sounds so much better to use a chord that sounds different, sometimes it's required by the melody note. Sometimes it is nice as a passing chord sometimes as a pivot chord. Today we're going to look at how passing chords present themselves.

As a passing chord: the outro to Layla, The Closest Thing To Crazy or You Don't Know Me. 

As a nice intro chord as in 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, God Only Knows, Someone Saved My Life Tonight or the sublime Your Song. What would that chorus be if the first chord was with an ordinary Bb chord rather than a first inversion Bb/D? 

It can also be a pivot chord as in Can't Help Falling In Love where it prepares the perfect cadence or Into My Arms where it creates that lovely floating feeling and then resolves over and over again. 

Sometimes you can have a series of slash chords with the same pedal. Eg the imperial march from Star Wars or Bat Out of Hell intro. This creates a great sense of atmosphere. So if you want to be free from the chains of standard rooted chord progressions. They will change the way you compose or reharmonise by adding a delicious subtlety to your music.  

So often a web page that shows you the chords to a song neglects to include the all-important slash chords without which much of the beauty and subtlety of the piece is lost.