Slash Chords- What Are They and How To Use Them

[@mybiggrin]

You did it again! Thank you! Not enough people are liking this video! They do not appreciate that you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart!

[@truefilm1556]

Thank you, again, for going really deep. I'm doing this every day (transcribing, arranging, composing, playing, sequencing, teaching, the whole shebang - which is a 'must' for musicians today) but it's always fantastic having complete information to fill-in the gaps (IMHO even the best don't know everything) - never enough. I feel like I'm always "midway" regarding my humble skills. There seems to be no such thing as complete knowledge about music, but that doesn't keep us from learning every day. Best music teaching channel on KZbin - hands down!

[@bobbob-mq9nu]

never stop learning...we signed on to always be a student, could do worse than constantly growing.

[@sethramsey102]

Some are comfortable with using composition as a means of applying concepts to refine their craftsmanship; uploading each one to the public domain can be a cool next step but it is not a requirement.

[@rana_cloud]

Woah :O You're such a great teacher! Thank you so much sir. Actually, I'm study at İstanbul University State Conservatory ,and this week we were learning this subject. But this subject was very diffucult for me. And now I'm ready to teaching it to others :D Hey from TURKEY! And thank you again for your absolutely work :) :)

[@imantisocial3179]

man, i totally thought this was going to be a lesson about slash's common chord types.

[@dennisfitch2036]

Me too

[@johnulcer]

He knows that's what most people will think when they search and click on the video...he gives good info but this was clickbaity. And even though I realize he gives a lot of good info for free, something about his tone and delivery always irks me. I feel like I'm being talked down to by a cranky high school teacher or something.

[@MisterMoccasin]

@@johnulcer i totally get what you're talking about with his tone, but the video is the least click baity it could be

[@ap7390]

Wow i found a bunch of idiots lmao hows this clickbait at all????

[@TheRoiderien]

Thanks, Rick--nicely done. I often think of slash chords by keeping the bass note constant and then moving the triads up.

[@RobertDannyDavis]

I have learned a lot when it comes to modernism and I thank you. Mostly in the area of modes that are not normally used in most tonal music. I was really looking to break free of my many years of using traditional harmonic functions, which had suddenly just started to seem like "not enough" to my ears anymore. So thanks! BTW this is the wrong topic to ask this on as I am not even thinking of slash chords, but I think one gets more replies while replying to the latest video. In the section of modes, I don't think you have the Harmonic Major in there anywhere and its modes. I was just transcribing March of The Slave Children From John Williams(as an exercise to get out of my traditional tonal ways, finding music that does not fit into older harmony methods) and realized that it fit none of the modes described so far. So I literally googled (major scale flat six) as I was guessing that it had been built on some mode from that and I found it is called the Harmonic Major, which I honestly did not know existed(most of my music experience is from about Wagner backwards so I love your page). The piece starts with the 4th mode of that basis and the reference chart calls it Mixolydian flat 9. Anyway maybe you can also cover this in your theory sections:) Thanks again for your page. Been following almost since you started explaining interesting modes and concepts!

[@ElectromagneDikk]

And yet another wonderfully informative video. Every video you put out teaches me something. Thank you so much for your efforts, they do not go unappreciated

[@souviksen7497]

I can hear frogs and crickets in the background. 😁

[@functionform]

it's awesome, kind of like going to music theory camp for a night.

[@robintate]

That's an F/C chord. Nyuk nyuk nyuk.

[@markjohnson9485]

Great lesson!! I was just going over this last night and you filled in the blanks for me thank you!!👏👏👏👏

[@allantaylor420]

nice, very usefull to think E/D# as phrygian! thx, ps.: revisiting this lecture 2 years after the first time

[@alfonshomac]

Duh, You play them on Guns n Roses songs.

[@classicalhero7]

We're in the jungle now.

[@bobbob-mq9nu]

Duff is the man

[@soopermich]

took me 15 mins to realize its (not) so easy

[@alfonshomac]

Well, that's because you have (n't) seen my sister in a Sunday dress. I Could've chosen a less creepy line...

[@soopermich]

you're crazy!

[@TomSmith-ox1nh]

WARNING: Music Theory incoming, and Beato is not afraid to write some equations.

[@steveb.5870]

I remember first learn this kind of thing with couple specific chord voicings and was called the "Magic Chord". We took a voicing and figured out what the chord name would be changing the bass note to each note of chromatic scale. Bottom line learned all chords have multiple names depending on how you use them

[@blackcitadel37]

and i thought that learning the basic three chord inversions was hard....

[@DawRoStudio]

you are such an amazing teacher! thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. much love!

[@EShinMusic]

I also like to use Root/maj 2nd chords as m11 chords using minor or dorian scales to improv over them. Another use for those chords! Nice content Rick, much appreciated!

[@RickBeato]

Eddy Shin I do as well. I was trying to show the most common use which is as a dominant 11 chord

[@rnrdesigner572]

I was wondering, since in E/F# there is no 3rd to imply the chord quality would it be more proper to call it a sus9 chord since there is root/b7/9 and 4 (11)? Thanks a lot for doing this video! I've been searching the internet for months trying to find a decent explanation of slash chords. It seems to me a lot of people have trouble defining their quality and function.

[@danielsperry8114]

Great video Rick, as a big Steely Dan Fan { MU } i use these chords a lot ..... I did learn how to use scales over these and i thank you for that .

[@anderson.ziemmer]

Fantastic!! Thanks for another complete material for studying!

[@sonorstudio1]

Handy things these "Slash Chords" !

[@Zigurate72]

Wow!! Thx a lot Rick. Amazingly explained.

[@HjalmarGuitarMaster]

Rick, have you made a video where you discuss diminished 7th chord functions and their different spellings? Thanks for today's video!

[@RickBeato]

Hjalmar Jakobsson I have three very in-depth videos on the diminished scale. Just go back about 30 videos and you'll find the latest one

[@HjalmarGuitarMaster]

alright! i'll check em out

[@TheLochs]

E/Bb is also a Lydian chord. I've seen John McLaughlin use it in some old Mahavisnu footage.

[@SecretSauce8]

Thanks RIck. great video... slash chords were always a mystery to me.

[@PeterVantine]

Great Lesson, Rick! Thanks for posting.

[@885909431427]

Hey Rick thanks so much...

[@tconnell1121]

I like half whole diminished over altered Dom.s, but I really dig the altered scale (7th mode of melodic minor)

[@thedukeofno]

This should be in the Beato Book

[@ProToTypeBeatmaker]

Thanks for this! I've been look for a video on this subject.

[@silviomp]

Rick, what an amazing job you're doing! I look up to you!!

[@Muckduck92]

These videos are great Rick, you're doing a huge favor for a lot of musicians out there. On the E/Bb I think you also could use Locrian or would that be wrong?

[@RickBeato]

+Petter Valderhaug You can. That particular chord a multi use chord. Locrian would be for when it’s functioning as a non-dominant chord.

[@Muckduck92]

Thanks for the reply Rick, you're doing a phenomenal job with this channel!

[@KalpaHettiarachchi]

Great

[@kearonandrewobrien7460]

I think you could produce a new super group. Your knowledge is incredable

[@superdog797]

For E/F (the first one) you put on the board the first inversion of E over the F. You put F G# B E (F + 1st inversion of E). For all the other chords, you just put the note and then the E major triad. For example, for E/D you put D E G# B (D + E major triad). For E/C, you put C E G# B (C + E major triad). Etc. Only for E/F did you put an inversion rather than the major triad itself. Why?

[@skaneverdies]

So quick on the draw with these translations!

[@railcar123]

E/F = A Harmonic minor E/Bb = Bb Super Locrian (B Melodic minor) scale. I would like to see if anyone found ways minor pentatonics (mostly C# minor pent) can be used over some of these

[@midimusician6359]

Thanks Rick!

[@briancherry8088]

ok. While I understood a bit of what I watched, I think this is a bit advanced for me. I'm going to keep practicing and come back to this after I've dun lerned more stuffs.

[@havokmusicinc]

I love slash chords! I tend to go beyond just triads, though, and do things like C7/Eb (implying Eb13(b9), using the phrygian-dominant​ scale - think Hava Nagalia or Miserlou).

[@grahamjarman]

wha?

[@RandyWillcox]

Excellent!

[@frimpit]

Hi Rick. Excellent video and thank you for showing. I'm not really a jazz guy, so I'm likely missing something here. My question is: to use the F# mixolydian over your 2nd example (E/F#), wouldn't that have to assume that the E triad is from lydian, in the key of B ? In other words, we need to assume a key, within this context, but the key is not shown. There is nothing in the chord name "E" that tells us it lies within the framework of the key of B major (the key that would make E function as lydian (if we spell its full scale E lydian). I say this because your example includes an A# (in order to give the F# a major third in order to define it as Mixolydian. In no way does the E triad designated on the top of the slash indicate that this E triad in question is necessarily formed from E lydian. So, from this, could it be concluded that using the F# Mixolydian scale, in this example, would only work if the overall key this slash chord is appearing in would be B? Could we therefore assume that if this slash chord appeared in the key of A, we would use an F# natural minor, in order to account for the fact that, in the key of A, The third of the F# would be A natural? Thanks.

[@TheKeithbruce]

the cricket noise's in the background is great

[@ddrumcorner4682]

imagine disliking this content ...damn

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

Please do a 'Sounding Off' with Todd Rundgren, the maestro of pop slash chords!

[@TheRoiderien]

As is Larry Carlton

[@sagarkapoor9892]

Hey Rick!!Can you please do an instructional on The Black Page. The transcription is pretty hard and it'd would be of great help. And also how to notate those kind of lines. Thanks!! :)

[@dronechoons]

So in essence, slash chord are just a modal way of looking at chords? I think I get it now, cheers, will need to watch the video another few times and internalise mind you. Cheers again great video.

[@brianmi40]

Rick, a few thoughts to pass on that might be of interest with your background as a *music* *educator.* Have you heard of *Teachur?* They had a successful Kickstarter where they are trying to disrupt the "normal" U.S. college education process with it's spiraling prices, and develop an alternative. (search for "kickstarter Josh Stanley") In essence, their goal is to use their knowledge of how "college works", leverage emerging technology (blockchain), and facilitate focused use of the preponderance of educational materials available on the internet to map out (stating the obvious): college degrees require -> requisite courses which require -> defined learning objectives -> sources to learn and master these objectives which can then be demonstrated as sufficiently mastered by students to qualify each course towards a degree by using technology (blockchain) based testing, or simply think of proctored tests, but with the addition of a digital record of how well each concept was grasped (think of it as creating a digital record of every answer given on every test towards a degree and being able to review individual answers as a potential employer to see that a candidate truly understood a particular study area, as opposed to simply "graduated with XX GPA"). You could as well oversimplify the effort as constructing some new form of virtual "Wikipedia", where the contents are arranged to map out in detail a progression of internet available knowledge that completely fulfills a degree plan. Their goal is to offer fully accredited degrees in a number of subjects, starting with Philosophy. Just wanted to pass this on, because I believe they, or *someone* can and should be successful in making this happen, and that means in the future, that somebody is going to assemble this hierarchy for degrees in the music field. It's clear to me that you, and dozens of others on youtube together are approaching the critical mass of having entire college level music courses available online, albeit in splintered and scattered form. So I wanted to make you aware in case there is a possible interest in your part of reaching out to them (I'm not affiliated in any way) to possibly discuss *the* *future* *of* *music* *education,* as their model may be able to take it in the future. I'm hopeful that someone like Teachur can come along and accomplish a few things: 1. Road Map out all this knowledge to a progression that can result in a college degree for those interested (assemble all the splinters into something greater, focused, and purposeful) 2. Guide interested learners to Best or Better sources of information on subjects of interest as a side benefit (think of someone like you grading youtube music theory videos for quality of learning with 1-5 star ratings for example) 3. Drive the quality somewhat as the marketplace focuses on this new goal for content authors, and have knowledge gaps filled by new content creation in order to deliver on all learning objectives without exception If Teachur is to succeed and one day bring their benefits to the musical field, they will need guiding lights to help point them in the right direction... perhaps you or someone you know would be interested in getting involved. Thanks for listening and for your great videos.

[@yojesse89]

Love the sounds of nature in the background. What key are the frogs croaking in?

[@JohanMonguiRobles]

Rick, thank you so much for your videos! I want to ask you if you can explain how to play piano chords like.... Ab13 or Gm7/F ... I am learning to play piano but now those type of chords are freaking me out a bit! Greetings from Colombia! :)

[@jhep1]

Would love to hear an analysis of PUD WUD

[@reimass9244]

In E/Bb chord, E should be written as a Fb. Othervise it is not a b5. And it is definitely not B b7 b9 b5 like someone can misunderstand because you repeated it twice, but Bb b7 b9 b5 but in the case of the E major slash chord, it is more like E major b13/ b5 without 7,9 and 11, or we call it Fb/Bb instead and we ignore the enharmonic difficulty. ;)

[@FFFKeys]

In E/A you can also use A minor harmonic scale, sounds cool...😉

[@keymaster430]

You are like Sheldon trying to teach us physics on the dry erase board

[@Ifihadaclue]

I realize this is an old video on slash chords. Don't know if I will get response, but here goes. I have been trying to learn "The Goodbye Look" from Donald Fagen. In the first verse (a line of women all in white) there is an A/F followed by an F6. When I played the slash chord I realized I had heard this particular 2-chord thing in other songs, mostly Brazilian. Elise Regina's "Vivir Aprendendo Jogar" comes to mind. Can you tell me about this? Does the progression have a name? I can feel a sense of tension and resolution in the sequence. Looked at the video a few times and realized what you were doing. A/F is analogous to E/C. So the sequence becomes Fmaj7#5 moving to F6. Bidirectional resolution? #5 up to 6 and maj7 down to 6. Compare with Fmaj7 to F6. Think I learned something today! Thanks, Alan Mayne

[@Barefoot67]

thanks Rick, it would be very interesting to know where you can fit these chords in? an E/F e.g.?

[@RickBeato]

+Barefoot67 that's on its way today!

[@Barefoot67]

Excellent! Looking forward to it, thanks!

[@59sharmanalin]

@@RickBeato Love from India, please share the link of that video, Rick!

[@spamaccount1513]

Why is e/f a flat 9 and not a flat 2? Do you have to try to avoid even numbers?

[@josterlau1]

Hi Rick I love your channel, you look like John Petrucci. Dylan is a genius!! Can you do a video entitled a day in the life of Dylan. What is Dylan's favourite dish? Does Dylan study when he wakes up or at night? I'd like to know how you made him!

[@RickBeato]

+J Osterlau It's easy, wake up, go to school, Come home, play video games, go to soccer practice, eat, Play video games again, go to bed.

[@josterlau1]

Really??? Must be the genes then, naturals!! That's logical then, your parents and obviously yourself are highly intelligent individuals. It's like Dylan already has the potential to become a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist or whatever he wishes to be as long as the motivation is there. Keep up the good work Rick!

[@dbilman]

I can confirm this! :)

[@simeskelin-croat6917]

Creepy....

[@stevenaustin4591]

this is confusing me, I thought slash chords were to just show the 3rd in the bass or the 5th in the bass, like triad inversions.... :/

[@peanutbutter1998]

Steven Austin nah. Thats up to the player.

[@JazzfireflyNZ]

Small detail... but at 10.20 why does Rick not call the E/D& scale a Lydian Dominant?

[@Tnwwnt]

I just want to ask if the slash chords are in the beato ear training module please ?

[@yoyoma4424]

Hello!! Wonderful video!! May I ask ? Around 9:24 you say it could be Dorian depending on its function. I am new to modes. When you say this, does this mean or say using Dorian would mean starting a scale as C# DORAIN or the Dorian mode of C# which would require moving up 1 while step which would make Dorian START ON Eb?

[@horusjones5213]

Hey Rick you got any tips for transcribing music?

[@daemonturk]

I'm also interested

[@herrschnupke4044]

Rick is not responding to his subscribers questions, very busy man that he is. :-)

[@JonGriffinMusician]

do it daily, that is the only trick. It's all about practice and getting to where you don't need an instrument to do the takedowns.

[@idigfusion9152]

I made a little test and wrote down every songs chord progression on spotifys top50 list, boring music but simple chord progressions to start with. I noticed it got much easier to recognize common chord progressions, passing chords and chord relationships after a couple songs.

[@JonGriffinMusician]

Exactly

[@paulcrooks4467]

Got to go over it

[@JariSatta]

Amaj9no3rd = Amaj9(omit3) = AΔ9(omit3) (in Finnish jazz theory books)

[@havokmusicinc]

Jari Satta I would call that particular chord maj7sus2, since the 9th really is acting as a doubly flatted 3rd.

[@bobbob-mq9nu]

pic drop

[@JonGriffinMusician]

That is a good case for writing slash chords. It's much easier when you are reading on a gig or session to see E/A.

[@johnanthony6201]

Thank you! I'm 61 and you may actually turn me into a musician before the Lord says I gotta move...

[@9ckr716]

ᴱ⁄ᴀ *_it's in the game_*

[@Djent7779]

why do you use mixolydian over a sharp11, ? i thought 11 was 4 so it would be lyidan

[@chuzzbot]

Rick you are a inspiring and generous human being! Thankyou for all your videos , though most of them are beyond my understanding. Guido Arezzo however, has a lot to answer for. Why isn't there a better way to speak 'music'? There are only 12 notes in western scale but the language we have to talk about mixing these simple 12 tones is SOOOO inelegant. You hear the chord and it's ahhh I can understand that. ... but listen and look at those charts? ... it's a convoluted gobbledegook. Sure it makes sense but apparently , so does Klingon. Why are we still using this medieval language to describe music, when our spoken languages have become so much more fluid? It is a nonsense. We should just use numbers with decimals, that would give us octaves and accuracy, it would allow for more invention and creativity without becoming confusing so quickly.... Oh and would save a lot of hot wind.

[@sarahnokomis4341]

can you throw a seventh chord over a bass note in the same way or even denote figured bass of a triad over a bass note (ie. EbmM7/B)

[@gnrdakota]

Sooo, I understood enough to keep watching but so much still flew over my head, I feel like in watching this I skipped a step. Whats the building block that goes right before this one?

[@jeppehauberg8882]

Could you play C# phrygian over E/C#?

[@radovanhorak1147]

I am not able to keep focus because of the frogs outside :D

[@TAkridge]

Can you please go over just regular improvising?

[@RickBeato]

TAkridge I have probably 50 videos about improvising

[@brentbreault7606]

Here's a question: Could that E/D also be considered a D69flat5?

[@jeffreyrivers1983]

I thought this was a Guns & Rose's lesson.

[@elvoldo1440]

Hey Rick, there is no minor slash chords? I mean same thing but putting bass notes into minor chords

[@damienro0]

so how do you actually use them? Do you just take any of those and try to fit them somehow in a chord progression, or you use some of them based on functions?

[@georgeescaped6035]

lost me at the white board

[@Philomena13]

LOL

[@docwill184]

Always referring to the 'basic chord' modes? E/F# = F# E G# B: "Play mixolydian." E mixolydian or F# mixolydian?

[@kunai9390]

In his description he called E the flat 7 so Im guessing he means F# mixolydian

[@torindavies1176]

Couldent Lydian Dominant be used for E/F#?

[@markusschultz4637]

Why are so many frogs crying?

[@cajonaconaquetebotou]

Springtime. Frogs are happy because is time to fuck, and then are singing on this chords to celebrate it.

[@kamakirinoko]

Reminds me of the monsoons of Kinshasa. The goddamn chorus of frogs/bugs and nightbirds was INSANE. You could not hear yourself think.

[@bustabass9025]

They just got their midterms back from Music Theory 101😕

[@mewntrain2911]

is it just me or are there frogs calling in the background throughout this video? 🐸 🐸🐸 🐸🐸🐸 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸 🐸🐸🐸 🐸🐸 🐸

[@PhrygianPhrog]

Why write slash chords rather than their non-slash equivalent? To explicitly state the bass note that must be used? Like figured bass?

[@JonGriffinMusician]

Exactly. It's used a lot in fakebooks and lead sheets.

[@PhrygianPhrog]

Got it thanks!

[@farolitohernandez4392]

Slash chords are what happens when the original Guns n Roses aren't playing a solo ;-)

[@abuventertainment2856]

I know this is really strange, but am I the only one that picks up the smell of whiteboard markers when I hear the sound of them being used? There are no markers around me. I just smell markers.

[@KyleHohn]

If you ever wrote a music bible, you could call it "The Beatotudes" (like the beatitudes, get it? Isn't it funny? . . .guys?)

[@ibanezguitaristzach]

That was good. Much approved!

[@kinggriffin4279]

brilliant

[@toddhaser]

He did write the Beato Book - it's like a music (theory) bible! :)

[@sblack48]

I hear crickets after that joke. Or are they in the video

[@alanmatthew5713]

Want to learn slash chords? Just practice the music of Steely Dan.

[@JazzGuitarForum]

I can hear crckets :)

[@stephenl8539]

Rick it sounds like your house is full of frogs

[@loombaron]

I thought it refered to slash the guitar player XD XD XD

[@bandpassmess]

Don’t mean to be smart azz I practice this couldn’t tell you how I do it , I just thought it sounded cool jazz sounds is all I call it .

[@StanAlter]

Slash chords and Slash Records. All from Slash.

[@nc2262]

I'm well excited to fail my second-year theory exam xoxo

[@michaelarndt3823]

I'm so lost.

[@GreyXGreyXGrey]

Slash chords describe bitonality. In bitonality, the bass tone cannot and should not be considered the root. It is a “passing tone.” I like your video but it seems to miss the point of bitonality (e.g., slash chords), which describe two distinct tonalities layered onto one another.

[@NebulousWyatt]

I wish I could shake your hand in person.

[@Melonheadinbed]

i don’t understand.

[@treycaron6734]

Boy that's a lot of tree frogs in the background.

[@earthianfriendly5708]

This class at this specific point in space is= Math+ physics+English+history+biology+ and some sort of combination a can not define= Music... sorry

[@javipokero]

Definitly the tittle is not apropiate for this video lesson... I was expecting how to use slash chords: how, when, in order to what, etc...but this lsson has nothing to do with that, this video could be handy for a pro Jazz player or something like that, but not for ordinary mortals wanting to iniciate wiht them

[@jakubhladik5898]

But why though? Why add this extra step? Why not just say “hey can you play an A 9 7 no 3rd instead of that A 9 7 flat.” To say it using the slash chord method I’d have to sit down and figure it out. Maybe tell the band to go take a smoke break while I get out the chalk board. I’m not sure Im a fan of the slash chord. I think western music notation / theory can over complicated things. There’s literally only 12 notes in the whole universe. Learn what all 12 do and you’re fine; learn all 25 (roughly) chords, all 10 or so useful modes. And it’s easier to think in numbers, not letters. If you know how chords are made, you can play anything in any key. That said, as an advanced player I find this interesting (and can’t believe I went 25 years of composing music not knowing about this), but it may turn off beginners. If you’re a beginner, maybe come back to this down the road.