Playing one chord over another

Question

I'm self taught and the theory that I know I learned myself or with the help of some online tools. Most of this makes a lot of sense. I understand the theory when it comes to constructing and naming of chords, but the one thing I have a real issue with is one chord being played over another.

How are these chords named, where are they derived from and how do I know a specific chord belongs to this naming convention without seeing the chord name. For example, I saw a tutorial by Marty Swartz on Imagine by John Lennon where he plays a Amin7 chord (E x, A 0, D 2, G 0, B 1, e 0), but then says it can also be a F/E. Also, in the song Horse with no name by America, there is something like a D6/F#.

Any insight into this chords would be appreciated, specially how there chords are constructed in theory

Answer 1

The chords that we know and love are produced by basically using 1,3 and 5 of a major or minor scale. Thus, Cmaj. is made up from C,E and G. This odd number pattern continues with 7, 9, 11 and 13, the chords named after the appropriate number. So, the Am7 in your example will be A,C,E and G.Since A is the 1, and the root note, and there's a 7 and a minor 3, it gets called Am7. Interestingly, though, by using the same notes, but starting at C, going C,E,G and A, it gets called C6. I really can't understand where 'F/E' comes from. There's no F in it, although playing the bottom string on Am7 will actually make it Am7/E. 'F/E' could be F maj7, as it features an E, but without an F, how can it be an F chord of any sort?

Generally, there are not two different chords playing simultaneously. There could be, for example, C,E.G and B,D,F all together, making Cmaj11, and might(?) be explained as it's C maj. and Bo played at the same time. I can't think of a song, though that would have, say, Cmaj7 and Dm superimposed - that means every note in the key sounding at the same time!

I think you think the slash means to play both the chords on either side of the slash! It doesn't! It means the first chord is the main one to play, and to use the NOTE written AFTER the slash as the lowest note played. That after slash note may, or may not be actually part of the original chord. If it IS, then the chord gets called an inversion, if NOT, then it's just a different note, often used to get from the previous to the next chord. Example - C, C/B, Am7 - which stays with the same basic notes for the chords, but sets up a descending bass line, going from C, through B down to A.

The D6/F# is an example of the former, a first inversion of a D6 chord - being D,F#,A and B, using the F# as the lowest played note.

Answer 2

There are chords that are played one over another, called bichords or polychords in general, such as the Petruschka chord (C over F#). They rarely occur in popular music.

The naming convention is "X over Y", e.g. "A over Cm7". The notation looks like a fraction, with a horizontal line rather than a diagonal slash between the chord names:

I don't think that's what you're after though... You were looking at slash chords, in which the bass note is written after a (diagonal) slash:

C/E

A chord that you mentioned, written F/E, would be an F chord (F A C, possibly in some inversion) with E added as the lowest note. The fact that E is not part of an F chord doesn't matter for this notation.

Another example you mentioned, D6/F#, would be a D6 chord (D F# A B) with F# as the lowest note. Typically there would only be one F# in the chord, but the slash notation doesn't specify.

Answer 3

Another angle to this -- the slash/chord is often written on lead sheets / cheat sheets to help bassists understand what notes they should be playing over a particular passage. If you see G, D/F# and Em, for example, the guitar player would play G major, D major and E minor but the bassist would play G, F# and E. This gives a feeling of walking down to the Em, as opposed to a rising up feeling if you were to simply play the chord root notes. Same for C, G/B, Am.

Answer 4

Slight correction to Tim's nice explanation above: Tim wrote, "So, the Am7 in your example will be A,C,E and G.Since A is the 1, and the root note, and there's a 7 and a minor 3, it gets called Am7."

Actually, it is the root note A, a flat minor 3rd C, major 5th E, and a flat dominant 7th G, which makes it an Amin7.

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F/E is commonly listed as an F chord in the open position, but with an E as the bass note. The index finger barring the 1st fret of the first and second string is an F (1) and C (5), the middle finger on the 2nd fret of the third string is an A (3), and the ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 4 string is an F (1). So this alone is an F chord with 5th and 6th strings muted. Musicians often strum the open 5th and 6th string, So the 6th string is the bass, which is an E; and the open 5th string is an A, which is again the 3rd of the F chord as outlined above.