Slash Chords on Guitar: What G/B and D/F# Mean and How to Play Them

Sooner or later you'll see chords like G/B, D/F# or Am/G on a chord sheet and wonder what the slash means. It's simpler than it looks: the slash tells you which note to put at the bottom of the chord. Slash chords are behind the smooth, flowing bass lines in countless pop, folk, worship and rock songs, and most of them are small changes to chords you already know.

This guide explains how to read slash chords, shows the shapes you'll actually use, and how they create walking bass lines.

How to read a slash chord

A slash chord has two parts:

• Before the slash: the chord to play.
• After the slash: the bass note, the lowest note you play.

So G/B ("G over B") is a G chord with B in the bass. C/G is a C chord with G in the bass. That's it. The chord is the same; only the lowest note changes.

Normally, the lowest note of a chord is its root (G in a G chord). A slash chord tells you to use a different note instead. This changes the sound subtly, and when several chords change bass notes in a row, it creates a moving bass line.

Two kinds of slash chords

• Inversions: the bass note is already in the chord. G/B is an inversion, because B is part of G major (G, B, D). These sound smooth and familiar.
• Other bass notes: the bass note is outside the chord. Am/G puts G under A minor (A, C, E), which effectively creates Am7. D/C puts C under D. These create richer, more colorful sounds.

You don't need to know which is which to play them, but it helps to understand why some slash chords sound "stable" and others sound like they're on their way somewhere.

The most common slash chords on guitar

These eight cover most of what you'll see in songs:

• G/B: the 2nd fret of the A string gives B in the bass. Skip the low E string. Extremely common between C and Am, or C and G.
• C/G: a C chord with the low E string at the 3rd fret (G). Big and full; useful as a passing chord.
• D/F#: D on top, F# on the 2nd fret of the low E string. Mute the A string. The most famous slash chord in pop and folk.
• Am/G: Am with G on the 3rd fret of the low E string. Mute the A string with the side of your fretting finger.
• C/E: a C chord with the open low E string ringing. Just strum all six strings.
• G/F#: G with F# on the 2nd fret of the low E string, muting the A string. A walking step between G and Em.
• D/A: D with the open A string in the bass. Strum from the A string.
• F/C: an F with C in the bass on the A string. Often easier than the full F barre.

D/F#: two ways to play it

D/F# deserves a closer look because it's everywhere. You have two options:

• Thumb over: play a normal D chord and wrap your thumb over the top of the neck to press the 2nd fret of the low E string. Comfortable for players with larger hands and common on electric guitar.
• Fingered: middle finger on the low E string at the 2nd fret, index on the G string, ring on the high e, pinky on the B string. More secure for many players, especially on acoustic.

Either way, mute the A string. Practice G → D/F# → Em until it flows; it's one of the most useful moves in acoustic guitar.

Walking bass lines

The real magic of slash chords is the bass line they create. When the bass moves one step at a time, chords feel connected. Try these:

Play each one slowly and listen to the bass notes. Even without singing, you'll hear a melody in the low strings. For more progressions with emotional bass lines, see sad chord progressions.

When you can skip the bass note

Slash chords matter most when you're the only instrument. In a band, the bass player usually plays the bass note, so you can often play the plain chord: D instead of D/F#, C instead of C/G. Just be careful with slash chords whose bass note isn't in the chord (like Am/G or D/C); those change the harmony, so try to include the bass note or at least avoid clashing with it.

Slash chords in number charts

In the Nashville number system, slash chords are written with numbers too. In the key of G, G/B is 1/3 (the 1 chord with the 3rd note in the bass) and D/F# is 5/7. Seeing them as numbers makes it easy to play them in any key. See our guide to the Nashville number system.

How to make up your own slash chords

1. Pick two chords that are a step or two apart, like G and Em.
2. Find a note between their bass notes. Between G and E, there's F#.
3. Play the first chord with that note in the bass: G/F#. Now the bass walks G – F# – E.

This one trick will make your accompaniments sound much more polished. It works especially well in fingerpicking, where the thumb plays the bass line. See our guide to fingerpicking for beginners.

Common mistakes

• Letting the wrong bass string ring. If the slash note is on the A string, don't strum the low E (and vice versa).
• Thinking the slash means a different chord. The chord before the slash is exactly what it says; only the bass changes.
• Confusing slash chords with "or." Some old song sheets use a slash to mean "either chord." In modern charts, it always means "chord over bass note."
• Forgetting to transpose the bass note. When you change key, move both parts. G/B up two half steps is A/C#. See how to transpose guitar chords.

Quick reference

For more chord symbols and what they mean, see our guide to guitar chord names, and for other "decorated" chords, sus chords.

Slash chords in common progressions

Once you start noticing slash chords, you'll hear them everywhere. These are especially common in pop, folk and worship music:

A/C# is played like D/F#'s cousin: an A chord with C# in the bass on the 4th fret of the A string (x4222x, muting the low E and high e). Learn it alongside G/B and D/F# and you'll have the three most common inversions in the most common guitar keys.

Fretwork's path covers slash chords as part of its chord lessons, along with the walking bass lines that make them useful. The first two stages are free, no card required.

Frequently asked questions