Most people don't touch the bottom E string when playing a D chord - I however like to use all six wherever possible so play the 6th string at the 2nd fret to give a F# bass note.......
So if I'm playing a D minor chord, of which F# is no longer a component, should I drop the bass note to the F note - 1st fret, bottom E string? I could always omit it altogether.........
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
If you want the sixth string, you could play the D minor at the tenth fret on the sixth string:
--10
--10
--10
--12
--12
--10
Otherwise you're playing either a D/F# or a Dm/F# according to your description. Right?
If you decide to grab the F on the sixth string, you'd have a Dm/F.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Now this is where I get confused - normal D chord - which I play with my thumb on the 2nd fret, 6th string - you're saying that should be labelled D/F# - is that because the bass note, F#, is not the root of the D chord, even though it is the third......?
I've tried the F bass note on the Dmin chord - only difference it seems to make is a fuller sound.........
What I'm getting at , the D with the F# bass and the Dmin with the F bass - aren't they simply alternate voicings rather than "slash" chords? After all, these bass notes are simply a mirror of the top "E" (1st ) string.........or is it to do withh the root of the chord? And is this why some people don't even play the 5th string (A - open) on both chords - would you call this D/A if you played the top 5 strings and muted the 6th?
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
They are other voicings, properly called inversions. You're playing the first inversion (3rd as bass note). The 2nd inversion would have an A (the 5th) in the bass
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This is typically listed as a D/F#
2 0 0 2 3 2
That's what you're playing, right?
And this is listed as a Dm/F#
2 0 0 2 3 1
This
1 x 0 2 3 1
or this
1 0 0 2 3 1
as Dm/F
Isn't that what you're describing?
It may be that they're also described as inversions, but the slash in the chord simply indicates that you're playing the F# as the bass note instead of the root. At least that's how I understand it.
Here's my reference, by the way:
Howard's huge chord dictionary D chord section
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Yes, they don't play the E and A so the D can be the root.
It may be that they're also described as inversions, but the slash in the chord simply indicates that you're playing the F# as the bass note instead of the root. At least that's how I understand it.
This is the bit I was trying to get straight in my head - I think I understand now. As I said, I originally learned the D chord with the F# bass note on the bottom E and was wondering if this was actually wrong?
Thanks guys...........
:) :) :)
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
It's not wrong at all. To form a major chord, all you need is the 1st, 3rd, and 5th of the scale - for D, that's D, F#, A. As long as those three notes are present (an no other notes), it doesn't matter how many times they appear, or on which strings, it's still a D chord.
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