Just a note about slash chords in addition to the good info above about the use of inversions. Ethic, yes, your example is a first inversion A major chord (C# E A)
The slash in slash chords has two meanings
If the bass note after the slash is a chord tone, then it means the chord is inverted e.g.,C/G. The order of notes above the bass note G is irrelevant as it's only the bass note that determines the inversion. So G E C and G C E or G C E G C G are all second inversion C maj chords, equally, as they all have the chord tone G in the bass.
If the bass note after the slash isn't a chord tone (e.g., C/B) then it means the chord isn't to be considered as an inversion, but a chord above a non-chord tone in the bass.
Unlike the inversion example above, where you can double the bass note higher up as much as you like, with C/B you shouldn't double the bass note as it's not a chord tone. If you double the bass note higher up, the chord would become Cmaj7/B, which is an inversion of C maj7.
The difference is often hardly noticeable, though.
|