Slash chords are chords that use a note other than their root as bass note and get their scary name from the forward-slash that appears in their name. As we have learned, chords require at least three notes to qualify as chords and those notes are the Root, third and fifth (1-3-5) of their scale.

The most common, and most stable sounding, way of playing chords is to use the root as the lowest note. But, it doesn't have to be the root, the third and fifth can also be used. These variations are called inversions and can be written into the chord progression as slash chords.

I know ... more confusing gobbledegook. The good thing about guitars is that you don't need to be conscious of all these numbers and letters. Once you know the various shapes for these chords, you can just move them up or down the fretboard to find all the others and never have to worry about the details. Remember that for these first and second inversion chords, you can usually play them by holding the full shape and leaving some stings out.

For example, an E/B (which is an E chord played over its 5) can be played by omitting the bass string in an open E chord. It therefore follows that any other major chord played over its 5 can be found by omitting the bass string in all the E form barre chords. Here are some shapes, but there are many more ways to play inversions, in fact, the whole fretboard is a patchwork quilt of inversions once you know how and where to look.