Slash Chords - Part 2

Once again we are dealing with slash chords in descending bassline progressions. This time we also start from minor and minor 7th chords. We will learn that it can sometimes be better to write chord names in a way that is not strictly the most correct but therefore makes it easier to read and understand in a certain context.

Descending bass starting with a major chord

Major triad with 3rd as lowest note

You may remember the G/B chord ("G over B", G major chord with B in the bass) from the first lesson on slash chords.

The chord diagram shows one of many possible chord shapes for a G/B on the guitar.

Here is a lesson with a video to play along with, where you can practice this chord progression with various chord shapes and in several keys: chord progressions → I-Vover3rd-VIm-IV

Only the bass note descends

Now we don't descend via G/B. Instead we just lower the bass note by a half step going from C down to B.

Here are two chord shapes for a C/B chord:

All root notes descend

If we not only lower the bass note itself but all of the C's we can find in our chord shape instead, we'll end up having an Em chord with B in the bass (Em/B). That may be a little bit confusing, causing the player to search for a whole new chord shape instead of just moving the few relevant tones.

In practice, a trick is often used: we pretend we are starting from a Cmaj7 chord shape, then lower the bass note by a half step. We name the chord Cmaj7/B ("C major seven over B") regardless of the fact that we have no more C in the chord at all by now.

That results in faster reading and probably exactly the chord we want to hear. For most guitar players the following two lines mean exactly the same:

Strictly speaking, the C/B chord from above could even more likely be written as a Cmaj7/B chord, because it contains all the notes of a Cmaj7. But normally it isn't necessary to note the function of the bass note (here: maj7) on the left side of the slash.

Descending bassline starting with minor or minor 7th chords

Dm → Dm/C

Let's have a look at the following chord progression with descending bassline:

To change the Dm to a Dm/C, we have to replace the root D in the bass by a C.

It would be correct to call this new Dm/C chord a Dm7/C, because the new bass C is the 7th of Dm. But normally we can ignore the function (interval) of the bass note in the chord name on the left side of the slash. Writing Dm7/C is usually done for a different reason...

B half diminished (Bm7b5) can also be seen as Dm/B. That means only the bass note is moving in the first three bars.

Dm7 → Dm7/C

Now starting from a minor 7th chord:

Again the same thing is happening. The root D is going to be replaced by a C. But when we take a closer look at the resulting chord shape, we see that there is no more D at all in the chord!

Strictly speaking our new slash chord is not a Dm7/C, but F/C - an F major triad (with the tones F, A and C) over C in the bass.

In practice, we are just looking at the descending bass note and therefore we name our slash chord in a way that instantly makes clear what to do on the guitar rather than trying to be too precise.

We are writing Dm7/C, because the chord has derived from the preceding Dm7
(even if there is no more D in the entire resulting chord).

It is not always about maximum analytical accuracy. The goal is to read quickly and avoid needlessly complicated playing.

If we lower the bass note of the Dm chord by just a half step (from D to C# - the maj7 of Dm), we should lower all Ds in the chord to C# (otherwise it may sound terribly dissonant). Now the resulting chord is actually an augmented C# chord (C#aug or C#+). Got it? Not quite clear? Ok, that's why we prefer writing Dm/C#. Coming from Dm you will instantly know what to do (your playing experience will tell you), even if the chord symbol is not really completely correct.

Example chord progression:

Essentially the same, notated even more correctly, but relatively complicated, isn't it?

Finally you can use both variants. It probably takes some time and experience to always choose the right chord name for each harmonic situation.