What Are Slash Chords?
A slash chord is written as Chord/Bass Note — like C/E or G/B. The letter before the slash is the chord; the letter after is the bass note. This creates smooth bass line movement between chords.
Essential Slash Chord Shapes
C/E G/B D/F# Am/G xx2010 x20003 200232 302210 C/G F/A Em/B 332010 x03211 x22000 Walking bass example: C → C/E → F → F/A → G → G/B → C (bass: C → E → F → A → G → B → C)
Add Slash Chords to This Progression
CAmFG
Try: C → Am/G → F → G/B for smooth bass movement.
Descending Bass Lines
One of the most popular uses — a chord stays the same while the bass walks down:
Am → Am/G → Am/F# → F (bass walks: A → G → F# → F) C → C/B → Am → Am/G → F (bass walks: C → B → A → G → F) Used in: "Stairway to Heaven", "Something" by The Beatles
Next Steps
Deepen your understanding with chord inversions and apply these voicings in your songwriting.