Chords › Slash chords

Slash Chords on Guitar

A slash chord names its lowest note: G/B means a G chord with B in the bass. You read it as "G over B".

Why guitarists use them

Slash chords make the bass move step by step while the chords change. G – G/B – C sounds smoother than G – C because the bass climbs G, B, C instead of jumping. The chord above stays the same shape you already know; usually only the lowest string changes.

Common slash chords

G/B x20003

Walks the bass up from G to C: G – G/B – C.

The chord All shapes

D/F♯ 2x0232

Walks from D down to Em, or up to G: D – D/F♯ – G.

The chord All shapes

C/G 332010

Keeps G in the bass under a C, common at the end of a song in G.

The chord All shapes

C/E 032010

A C chord with the open E ringing low; leads to F.

The chord All shapes

D/A x00232

Open D with the open A string in the bass.

The chord All shapes

F/C x33211

An F without the full barre: the bass is C.

The chord All shapes

Am/E 002210

Open Am with the low E ringing; easy to strum all six strings.

The chord All shapes

A/C♯ x4222x

Walks from A up to D: A – A/C♯ – D.

The chord All shapes

G/D xx0003

A light G with D in the bass, often used before D.

The chord All shapes

E/G♯ 4x2100

Walks from E up to A: E – E/G♯ – A.

The chord All shapes

Em/B x22000

Em on five strings with B in the bass.

The chord All shapes

Am/G 3x2210

The middle of the descending line Am – Am/G – F.

Same notes as Am7/G: the bass note turns it into a seventh chord.

The chord All shapes

Find any slash chord

Type it in the chord finder, for example "C/B" or "F/A", to see every shape that keeps that bass note lowest. If you have a shape and want its name, tap it into the chord identifier: it gives slash names whenever the lowest note is not the root.

Questions about slash chords

What is a slash chord?

A chord with a named bass note. The letter before the slash is the chord, the letter after it is the lowest note: G/B is a G major chord with B as its lowest note.

How do you play a slash chord on guitar?

Play the chord so that the note after the slash is on the lowest string you strum. Often that means moving one finger: G/B is the open G shape with the low E string left out and the B on string 5.

Is G/B the same as a G flat chord?

No. G/B (G over B) is a G major chord with B in the bass. G♭ (G flat) is a different chord a half step lower, also written F♯. Search engines often confuse the two because they drop the slash.