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Chord inversions on guitar: slash chords and the bass line

An inversion is the same chord with a different note in the bass. C major is always C, E and G; what changes is which of the three sits at the bottom. That one change is why a chord sheet says C/G or D/F#, and why some progressions sound like they walk while others jump. This page explains how inversions are numbered, how to read a slash chord, the shapes you will actually play, and the bass lines that make them worth learning.

Root position, first and second inversion

A major or minor chord has three notes, so it has three possible bass notes. Each one has a name.

Position In the bass C major Written Shape
Root position The root C C x32010
First inversion The third E C/E 032010
Second inversion The fifth G C/G 332010

On the guitar, the three are almost the same grip. The fretting hand plays the C chord you know; only the lowest string changes. Let the open low E ring and you have C/E. Add G at the third fret of the low E and you have C/G.

C, root position x 3 2 0 1 0 · 3 2 · 1 · fingers
C/E, first inversion 0 3 2 0 1 0 · 3 2 · 1 · fingers
C/G, second inversion 3 3 2 0 1 0 4 3 2 · 1 · fingers

Seventh chords have a fourth note, so they have a third inversion, with the seventh in the bass. Am7/G (302010) is one: A minor seventh is A, C, E and G, and G is underneath.

Only the lowest note decides the inversion. The order of the notes above it is a different question, the voicing, covered on chord voicings on guitar. A first inversion is a first inversion whatever the higher strings do.

How to read a slash chord

The letter before the slash is the chord. The letter after it is the bass. D/F# is read "D over F sharp": a D major chord with F# as its lowest note.

A slash chord is an inversion only when the bass note is already in the chord. F# is the third of D, so D/F# is a first inversion. Am/G# is a different case: A minor is A, C and E, and G# is not one of them. The bass there is a passing note, chosen for the line it makes, and the chord on top stays an A minor.

Slash chord Chord notes Bass What it is Shape
D/F# D F# A F#, the third First inversion 200232
Dm/F D F A F, the third First inversion xx3231
G6/B G B D E B, the third First inversion x20000
Gmaj7/B G B D F# B, the third First inversion x20002
C/G C E G G, the fifth Second inversion 332010
Dm/A D F A A, the fifth Second inversion x00231
C#m/G# C# E G# G#, the fifth Second inversion xx6654
Am7/G A C E G G, the seventh Third inversion 302010
Am/G# A C E G#, not in the chord Passing bass 4x2210
D/F# 2 0 0 2 3 2 T · · 1 3 2 fingers
Dm/F x x 3 2 3 1 · · 3 2 4 1 fingers
Dm/A x 0 0 2 3 1 · · · 2 3 1 fingers
G6/B x 2 0 0 0 0 · 2 · · · · fingers
The T under D/F# is the thumb, wrapped over the neck to fret the low F#. Players split on it: others use the second finger there and rebuild the D shape with the rest. Both are correct. The D/F# chord page shows a four-string version that needs neither.

What inversions are for: a bass that walks

The main job of an inversion is to let the lowest note move by step instead of jumping. Play these pairs and listen only to the bass.

Progression Shapes Bass line
G, D/F#, Em 320003, 200232, 022000 G, F#, E, stepping down
C, G/B, Am x32010, x20033, x02210 C, B, A, stepping down
C, C/E, F x32010, 032010, xx3211 C, E, F, climbing toward F
Am, Am/G#, Am7/G, D/F# x02210, 4x2210, 302010, 200232 A, G#, G, F#, one fret at a time

Compare the first line with G straight to Em: the bass leaps from G down to E, and nothing is wrong with it. Put D/F# in between and the same three chords sound arranged, as if a bass player had joined you. That is all an inversion does, and it is a lot.

The last line is the one to learn by heart. Under it, the fretting hand barely moves: the A minor grip stays, and only the bass note slides down the low strings, A, then G#, then G, then F#.

Am x 0 2 2 1 0 · · 2 3 1 · fingers
Am/G# 4 x 2 2 1 0 4 · 2 3 1 · fingers
Am7/G 3 0 2 0 1 0 3 · 2 · 1 · fingers
D/F# 2 0 0 2 3 2 T · · 1 3 2 fingers
In the shapes with an x on the A string, mute that string with the underside of the finger fretting the low E. It keeps the bass line clean: an open A ringing under Am/G# is exactly the note you are walking away from.

The second inversion: a bass that stays

The second inversion has the opposite use. Instead of moving the bass, it keeps it still while the chord above changes. Go from C/G (332010) to G (320003): the third fret of the low E is G in both chords, so the bass holds while the harmony moves underneath your hand. Holding one bass note under changing chords is called a pedal, and a second inversion is one of the simplest ways a guitarist makes one.

With a capo on, slash chords follow the same rule as everything else: the chord and the bass both move by the same number of frets. The guitar capo chart works through two examples.

Slash chords on this site

Frequently asked questions

What is a chord inversion on guitar?
A chord played with a note other than its root as the lowest note. C major is C, E and G. Played with C in the bass it is in root position; with E in the bass it is the first inversion, written C/E; with G in the bass it is the second inversion, written C/G. The chord keeps its name and its notes. Only the bass changes, and with it the weight of the sound.
What does a slash chord like C/G mean?
Read it as C over G: play a C chord, and make G the lowest note. The letter before the slash is the chord, the letter after it is the bass. On guitar that usually means adding or moving one bass string, for example 332010 instead of x32010 for C/G.
Are all slash chords inversions?
No. A slash chord is an inversion only when the bass note belongs to the chord. D/F# is an inversion, because F# is in D major. Am/G# is not: G# is not in A minor, so the bass is a passing note under the chord rather than one of its own notes.
Why use inversions instead of normal chords?
Mostly to make the bass move by step. G to Em makes the bass jump from G down to E. G to D/F# to Em walks it down G, F#, E, one step at a time, and the whole progression sounds smoother and more like a written arrangement, with no extra chords to learn.
How do you play D/F# on guitar?
The full version is 200232: a D chord on the top four strings with F# at the second fret of the low E. Many players fret that F# with the thumb wrapped over the neck; others use the second finger and rearrange the D shape. If neither works yet, play xx4232, which keeps F# in the bass on the D string.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris. He teaches adults, which shapes everything here: people with jobs, limited practice time and a clear idea of the songs they want to play. Inversions come into his lessons as soon as the open chords are comfortable, because they make simple songs sound arranged without adding difficulty. Every chord on the site is listed on the guitar chords page, and the rest of our free guitar tools work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.