Piano chord question

[DollyM]

When you have a piece of sheet music that shows the melody on the right hand, but shows only letters for the chords ... what does A/D mean? How about D/F# ? What would that translate to on the piano?

DS is trying to pick out the LEFT hand for a hymn we sang for the first time at a church we visited on Easter. (Resurrection Hymnn byt Stuart Townend and Keith Getty - we just love this...)

Anyway, DS knows how to pick out a D chord and play something on the piano - but what the heck is A/D or D/F# or A7/G ?? Anybody?

I'm not musical and I'm just typign this question out for him. THanks.

[Rhesa]

If you have a chord like A/D, that means in the right hand you will play an A chord. In the left hand (the bass) you will play an open D octave, or just a plain D (not a chord- just the note)

So basically they are telling you what note they want you to play in the bass, instead of just playing the root note of the chord.

Hope this helps, if you have any further questions, please ask- I'll try to make it as clear as possible!

[Rhesa]

How about D/F# ? What would that translate to on the piano?

Similarly, play a D chord in the right hand. In the left hand he will play F#.

[DollyM]

Thanks, Rhesa for responding - but now we're still confused.

The melody is on a staff with regular notes of music. But then OVER that are these letters ... A or G or A/D, etc. - DS thought they were chords - but they don't seem to "go with" the melody. And he doesn't understand how to play two of them. Obviously "we're" missing something basic here - Is my question clear as mud LOL?

He has a piano teacher locally, but she's not home tonight. Apparently this is very important to DS :glare::001_smile::D

Ack. I just realized how late it is ... hopefully you are already sleeping like a good girl. I'm off to kick him into bed, too! And, me, too!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

As I understand this notation, the second letter shows what the base note should be. It may or may not be part of the chord indicated by the first letter.

For A/D, with the left hand, his fifth finger would play a low D note, and the rest of his fingers would play an A chord (or part of an A chord). So, he would play a low D, and an A, and a C#. If his hand is large enough, he could also play the E above the C#. He could experiment with different parts/inversions of the A chord until he found one he likes. He would continue to play the melody with his right hand.

For the D/F#, he would play a low F# with his fifth finger, then play part (or all) of the D chord. So, he might play F#-D-F#, or F#-A-D, or F#-A-D-F#. Again, he would continue with the melody in the right hand.

[dalynnrmc]

Yes, I believe that Suzanne is correct. I've always looked at it as a fraction kinda - an "A chord built on a D base" type of thought. And this is where inversions come in handy as well....

Just an agreement to help you decide. :)

[Rhesa]

Thanks, Rhesa for responding - but now we're still confused.

The melody is on a staff with regular notes of music. But then OVER that are these letters ... A or G or A/D, etc. - DS thought they were chords - but they don't seem to "go with" the melody. And he doesn't understand how to play two of them. Obviously "we're" missing something basic here - Is my question clear as mud LOL?

He has a piano teacher locally, but she's not home tonight. Apparently this is very important to DS :glare::001_smile::D

Ack. I just realized how late it is ... hopefully you are already sleeping like a good girl. I'm off to kick him into bed, too! And, me, too!

Aha!- I see what you're saying. I'm used to playing from a chord chart- where you sing the melody- but you don't play it in the right hand. Thus, my explanation of chord in right hand, open octave in the left. (This is more how you play in a band setting.)

If he's playing the melody in the right hand, I would keep it simple in the left. Play a simple A chord and ignore the over D part.

Or, like the other poster mentioned, he can play a partial A chord, and keep a D on the bottom.

Having a different note on the bottom changes the texture of the chord- it makes the music much more interesting. It won't be wrong to ignore the more advanced part of the notation. It just adds color.

Again, HTH! Feel free to ask if you need more help!