View Full Version : Split Chords
01-22-2006, 07:01 PM
Can someone please explain to me what these are?
Im thinking its when u have a chord, and one of the notes other then the root is the lowest (bass note), is that correct? Or is it a little deeper then that?
01-22-2006, 07:08 PM
do mean a chord written like this?
or a chord written like this?
cause the first is called a slash chord, the other is a polychord.
slash chord is exactly what you said. a chord with a note in the bass other than the root
while a polychord is two triads over each other ... like the example I gave would be Dmaj over F# maj
01-22-2006, 07:09 PM
You are correct. A 'slash' chord is when you have a standard chord but you change the root note (usually the bass note) to a different note. For example a common slash chord would be a F/C which is a C with an F# as the lowest note instead of a C. If you it will help you, the song Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd is LOADED with slash chords.
01-22-2006, 07:11 PM
^ you got that backwards, homes..
the letter on the right-hand side is the one in the bass. so the chord you wrote is F major with a C in the bass.
don't know where the F# came from lol.
01-22-2006, 07:14 PM
thanks, one more question though, i was talking about slash chords, but does that mean the inversions of a chords, would be slash chords? For example, if i have a C major triad
(C-E-G) and i use the first inversion (E-G-C) i think thats it, does that make it a C/E chord. If i have the 2nd inversion (G-C-E) i also think thats it, does that mean the chord is a G/C chord. Also what if the chord is (G-E-C) and (E-C-G). Sorry im asking so many questions, but please help
01-22-2006, 07:22 PM
yeah, you got it. any inversion you'll see in modern day music scores will be written as a slash chord. unless of course it's a more classically based piece. then you're still likely to see the 6 and 6/4 dealy.
as far as the last two you gave, you'd still see them written exactly as the rule applies. they're both C major chords with a bass note other than the root, so G-E-C would still be written as C/G and E-C-G would still be written as C/E
they're still inversions and still triads, they're still C major and they still have a bass note other than the root :). they just happened to be spread triads and don't fit nicely into the hard fast rule of flipping the bass note up on top to give you the the basic inversion order that we all learn at first.
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