Slash Chords

Nothing to do with the guitarist Slash! These are chords which are written with another note next to them, separated by a forward slash. For example, Cadd9/E. The letter after the slash indicates the bass note for the chord.

Take a listen to some slash chords.

Theory – Time Signatures 3/4 & 6/8

The 3/4 time signature that consists of three quarter beats in every bar. The accent (or kick drum) lies on the first of the three beats. The 3/4 time signature has a waltz feel to it. Happy Birthday, Mull of Kintyre (Paul McCartney & Wings), Three Times a Lady (Lionel Richie) and Silent Night are examples of songs in 3/4.

The 6/8 time signature is in some ways related to 3/4 time. For example, you also have waltz songs both in 3/4 and 6/8. The key difference would be in the feel of the song. Listen to the drums and try counting 1-2-3, 1-2-3. Where are the bass drum and snare drum in the rhythm? Where is the emphasis? Try counting 1-2-3-4-5-6. If you notice that the kick is on beat one and the snare is on beat four, then chances are it’s a 6/8 time signature. Perfect (Ed Sheeran), Nothing Else Matters (Metallica) and When a Man Loves a Woman (Percy Sledge) are 6/8 songs.

Take a listen to how these sound…

Some more strumming patterns

We now look at some strumming patterns in both 3/4 and 6/8.

A straight 3/4 heared on songs like Mull of Kintyre

A 3/4 pattern with 8ths giving swing feel

Straight 6/8 strumming – not much of a groove happening here…

A more common 6/8 strumming pattern with 16ths to add some ‘feel’.

Practice Track

Let’s now use the 6/8 strumming patterns.

| Cadd9 Em7 | Dsus4 D | Cadd9 Em7 | Dsus4 D |

Gear – Guitar Cleaning

Keep your guitar clean and sparking with a guitar care kit fretboard, finish and strings. Lemon Oil is perfect removing grime from the fretboard. Guitar polish restores the shine and contains the correct chemical balance to preserve any finish. String Cleaner shields strings from tarnish and corrosion, extending their playing life.