Slash Chords - Part III

I wanted to wrap up our discussion of Slash Chords (Part I, Part II, plus a discussion in the 2nd video of my New Chords post), with a new scenario: playing piano as an accompanist. So far we have covered playing Slash Chords as a soloist. When we play a piano solo we tend to play most of the notes from the chord in our left hand while our right hand plays the melody. However, when we accompany an instrument soloist such as a clarinetist or trumpet player, or when we accompany a singer, or accompany ourselves singing, we can spread chords across our two hands.

For SLASH CHORDS (such as D/A or F#min/C#, etc.) that means we can play the chord (the chord is represented by the letter to the LEFT of the slash) in our right hand, and the left hand can play octaves (using the letter to the RIGHT of the SLASH).

I think this is best explained by demonstration, so please watch my video:

As I mentioned towards the end of my video, you can use this idea when you're accompanying, for any chords. For example, when playing a D-flat major chord, you can play D-flat octaves in your left hand and a D-flat triad or inversion in your right hand. When we play a Root - 3rd - 5th - Octave in the left hand, it can make a muddy sound, especially if we are playing the chord low on the keyboard. Playing simple octaves in the left hand with the full chords in your right hand) keeps your sound clean and open.

By the way, can you guess the song I was playing as an accompaniment towards the end of my video? I play it twice so listen and see if you can guess the song! You can write your answer in the comments below if you think you know it!

I hope you are getting more comfortable with Slash Chords after watching these videos and reading all of my Slash Chords posts. They seem complicated at the outset (especially remembering that the chord name is to the LEFT of the Slash, and the note to be played at the bottom of the chord is to the RIGHT of the Slash), but as with all challenging yet important and beautiful things, the more you practice playing Slash Chords, the clearer and easier they will become.

You find Slash Chords in popular, jazz and folk music, and though there are no chord symbols in classical genres, there are Slash chords splashed throughout the literature. So it's great to get familiar with them. Maybe you can even try to identify a few in whatever sheet music you are practicing now?! If you come across a measure with octaves in the left and a chord in the right but you can't tell what it is, take a photo of the measure and send it in the comments below. I can tell you what it could be (sometimes there are multiple possibilities!), or perhaps other blog subscribers can give you their take on it. It's fun to be a music detective!

Hope you are staying warm and cozy wherever you are in the world. Leave us a comment and tell us what you're playing, or tell us about your experience with or question about Slash Chords! I love to hear from you. It's good for me to know that you are reading my posts and finding value in what I offer!

With love and music, Gaili

Check out my music instruction books for teens, adults and older adults plus many sheet music song collections on my website! UpperHandsPiano.com