[ethic]

Are they same thing? Or, can one be the other? A friend of mine asked me today if a C chord has to have the root as the bass note. I've never thought of chords as having this restriction, even though I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to theory. A lot of times, when I play a chord, it's actually the 5th or 3rd that's the lowest note and the root is the highest. Like, for example, if I were playing an A Major on the highest three strings.

|---5
|---5
|---6
|----
|----
|----

Is this what is meant by Inverted Chord; or is doing this a slash chord?

Also, do inversions still have to go in order? Like, if the lowest note is the 3rd, does the next highest have to be the 5th, then the root? Like: (3, 5, 1) or (5, 1, 3)? Or can be be out of order, such as: (1, 5, 3)?

[X4StringDrive]

Hey Ethic, you probably already know that I'm not the one for answers and you probably know that I can't help myself at times lol

a C chord would be written...C E G
in 1st inversion...EGC
2nd inversion...GCE

Using a slash chord example...
a C Major in second inversion...C/G

these links have been helping me get a grip somewhat..hope it helps
Inversion (music - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Slash chord - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Doug]

Hey Ethic,

Chords don't have to be root, third, fifth although it sounds most stable when it's like that. You'll find that a lot of "standard" chord shapes on the guitar are actually inverted chords. So, for example, an open C played with all the strings is actually E C E G C E. So with an E in the bass, it's a first inversion - sort of (a real first inversion would be E G C).
Slash chords "should" denote inversions of a chord - the bass note of an slash chord "should" be a note within the makeup of the chord. Otherwise the chord is spelled wrong. For example a C/B should be spelled Cmaj7/B. But when you look up tabs on the internet, you'll find all kinds of differing levels of accuracy and quality.

[Fretsource]

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.

[Doug]

Hi Fretsource,
thanks for clarifying my misinformation. I hadn't realized the distinction between chord tones and non-chord tones after the slash.
Sorry, Ethic, for misleading you. (You'll soon realize who to trust on this forum - and Fretsource is top among them.)
-Doug

[Fretsource]

Your information wasn't misleading Doug. You made the most important point of all in answer to Ethic's question, which is that chords don't have to be played in root position, but they sound most stable when they are.