• Registered: 2010-11-26
  • Posts: 1

Topic: A/D Chord and other "combinations"

I am a relatively new guitar player (about a year and a half), and I am getting a lot of the basic chords down pretty good now.  I have started to really expand my song list, and I read a lot of tab  - I keep coming across chords that look like combinations, or two chords, such as A/D.  There are several other combinations similar to this, and they show the little six string graphic with how you play the chord.  I cannot figure this out!  First of all, A/D doesnt look like either A or D, and it doesnt sound like a "conventional A or D either.  Am I supposed to change my fingering to transition from A to D?  This chord is shown with  the B and E strings fingered on the secong fret.  You dont play the E or A, and the D and G are open.  What am I supposed to be doing here, and, how do I read these graphics on other combinations??

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,862

Re: A/D Chord and other "combinations"

Blue Ray the A/D chord means that A is the chord and D is the lowest tone in the chord all slash chords are this way just remember the letter to the left of the slash is the chord and the letter to the right is the lowest note in the chord smile

"Growing old is not for sissies"

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  • Astronomikal
  • Astronomikal
  • Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Moderator
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  • From: Texas
  • Registered: 2009-11-01
  • Posts: 644

Re: A/D Chord and other "combinations"

Hi Blue-Ray and welcome to Chordie.

As Russ says, you've run across what are called "slash" chords.  It basically means you play the chord to the left of the slash, but the root note of the chord will be to the right of the slash (something other than the name of the chord itself).

Example:  G = 320003, but G/B = x20003 (don't play the low E string, so that the chord is a G with the B as the lowest note).

A couple more more common ones:
C/B = x22010
D/F# = 2x0212

They are usually used as transition chords to provide a bass note walkup or walk down.  For example, C/B works well between C and Am.


Now, to your A/D, you said this:  >>"This chord is shown with  the B and E strings fingered on the secong fret.  You dont play the E or A, and the D and G are open."<<

I interpret this as:  xx0022.  If so, I don't see that as an A/D.  To me, an A/D would be xx0220. 

If you actually played the A string as part of it (x00220) I think it would be an Aadd4. (Russell or Jerome, please check me on this.)

"Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid." - Despair, Inc.