The C/G chord on guitar: C major over a G bass

C/G reads "C over G": a C major chord with G as its lowest note. If you already play the open C chord, you are one finger away from it. It is one of the most common slash chords in pop and rock, because a G under C lets the bass walk smoothly to the next chord instead of jumping.

C/G chord: notes and shapes at a glance

• Name: C over G
• Symbol: C/G
• Notes: C, E, G
• Bass note: G, the lowest note you play
• Where it belongs: I in C major, V in F major, IV in G major, VII in D minor, VI in E minor, V in F minor, III in A minor

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

What the slash in C/G means

In a slash chord, the letter before the slash names the chord and the letter after it names the bass note. C/G is a C major chord, C, E and G, played so that G sounds lowest. You strum it in one go, like any other chord.

The same rule reads every slash chord you will meet: D/F# is D major over F#, Am/G is A minor over G. The upper notes do not change; only the bottom of the chord moves.

C/G string by string: 332010

Two ways to finger it

From C: keep your open C (third finger on the A string, second on the D string, first on the B string) and add the fourth finger on the low E at fret 3. Going from C to C/G and back, only one finger moves.

From G: some players put the third finger on the low E and the fourth on the A string, both at fret 3, with the second and first fingers on the D and B strings. It feels natural if you play G with the third finger on the low E. Pick the version that makes the change before it shorter.

C or C/G: which one to play

If the chart says C, play the open C chord, which starts on the A string. If it says C/G, add the low G: the chord sounds wider and sets up the next bass note. Swapping C/G for C in a quick strum is acceptable, and the harmony stays right, but the bass line the chart was asking for disappears.

C/G turns up most where a bass line walks: down from Am to F, or up from G toward Am. Try it in a G, C/G, Am loop and listen to the bass climb G, G, A while the chords change above it.

Where to hear C/G

The best known example is the intro of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Its bass descends one half step at a time under Am, Am/G#, C/G, D/F# and F: C/G is the third step of that line, right before the D/F#. Play the shapes slowly and follow the lowest note: that descent is what the slash chords are there to spell out.