Playing one chord "over" another

Tony Palmer · From: St Augustine,FL

I see a lot of reference to chords like D/G (D over G) or C/G and I'm not exactly sure what that means, nor how to play it.
From what I understood, it's playing one part of a chord over another part of another chord, but when I try it , it comes out like a sus4 chord.
Can something elaborate on this...particularly as it relates to steel?

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Well many times this would be
a D chord over a G root
D/G

For a decending root it could be
D D/C D/B G A

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

In D/G the G usually means G note in the bass, not a G chord. As a steel player you don't have to play the bass note because the bass player should be playing it.

Also in a Nashville number chart D/G might mean play half a bar (2 beats) of D chord, then half a bar of G chord. In this kind of chart, a D chord with G bass would not use the diagonal slash / . Instead you would write the D directly above the G, with a horizontal line separating them.
Something like this:
D
_
G

which is hard to do right on the computer.

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Funny you mention that Earnest.

Yesterday I did a recording session where the guy was writing out "compound chords" (which is what I call em) using Nashville numbers. For instance, instead of Ab/Bb, he used 4/5 etc. It looked pretty confusing when he'd have 2 or 3 chords per measure. It started to look pretty algebraic. Wish he woulda added more random numbers to my check. Now that would've impressed me!

Jeff Lampert · From: queens, new york city

An additional point. More often than not, the bass note specified after the "/" will be a note of the chord, and then that instance of the chord is considered an "inversion" of the normal chord.

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[url=http://www.mightyfinemusic.com/jeff's_jazz.htm]Jeff's Jazz[/url]

[This message was edited by Jeff Lampert on 07 December 2004 at 01:37 PM.]

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

An easy way to use one chord over another is for instance in the key of G. When you get ready to go the the C (or 4) chord use a Dm or 5m instead of the G7. It's especially nice on ballads. Also in the same vein, you can get some nice things on up tempo solos by soloing in the 5 minor scale of whatever chord you're in while the band is playing the root....Have a good 'un..JH

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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Wayne Franco · From: silverdale, WA. USA

Jerry...would that be like the 2minor in a 2/5/1 progression. I've been practicing 2 5 1's lately in both single notes and chords. I was thinking of taking an old country song "I think I'll go somewhere and cry myself to sleep" and put in some tasty 2/5/1's and other chord substitutions. I may get shot if I play it at a county jam though.

Bill C. Buntin · Posted 9 Dec 2004 7:23 pm

Also in example are poly-chords. Where you play the notes of one triad against another chord. For example if the band is in the 1 chord; during a solo or a ride or while you are playing fills you could play the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the 4 chord against that 1 chord and it works out well. That is one of MANY examples of using poly-chords during solos or fill work.

basilh · From: United Kingdom

I think that for instance.. in the key of C...a F/G might be a way of getting a rather nice sounding G11..maybe !
Baz

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Tom Keller · From: Greeneville, TN, USA

I have always heard these symbols referred to as slash chords. exp.. F#/G simply means F# is the featured bass note of the chord.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Tom you bring up a good point.
SOME people write the root 1st and then the chord
G/A G root under A major chord

But I think MORE people use it after,
as in A/G or A major chord with G root.
As a bass player I see the chord / root version much more often.

I go with the later, you are stating the chord, and then stating an different root for it.

But it is good to ask if it is a 1st time chart.
Often the logic of the changes should tell you which way to read it.

?There are also hybrid chords where a chord is stacked over another chord literally,
but this is more a modern jazz convention.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 10 December 2004 at 01:39 AM.]

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