There is no great mystery to slash chords.

Simply put, a slash chord is a chord in which the chord's root note (the note that the chord is named
after) is substituted with an entirely different note. Slash chords can be used with great effect in your songs progression to help make your chord
progression a little more interesting.
Slash chords get their name by the fact that they are written like fractions, like this - C/D. The first letter designates which chord is being played,
and the letter after the slash designates which note is being played under the chord (or "in the bass") as a substitute for the chord's root. So with
the example above (C/D), a basic "C" chord is to be played over the note "D".
A great example of the use of slash chords can be found in the classic song "Mr. Bojangles", written by Jerry Jeff Walker and performed by the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band C
C/B
C/A
C/G
"I met a man, Bojangles, and he'd dance for you

G
in worn out shoes"

In this particular example, you can see that a "C" chord is being played for the first part of the line, but other notes - "B", "A" and "G" are used
underneath the "C" chord to create a moving "bass line" in this case, a descending bass line.
Another great example of a chord progression using a slash chord is the song "Freebird" by Lynard Skynard, in the song's intro and some of the
verse lines G

D/F#

Em

Dsus4

"If I leave here tomorrow, things just wouldn't be the same...."

The classic "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton also contains slash chords G

D/F#

C/E

D/F#

"It's late in the evening, she's wondering what clothes to wear..."

Typically, in a band situation, the band's bass player would play the "alternate" note in the bass. However, the band's guitarist(s) and keyboard
player could also play that alternate note in the bass as well, to help "emphasize" the different note.
Theoretically, any other note could be played under a given chord. However, not every note "in the bass" - under the chord - is going to sound
good under that chord. In fact, some chord and alternate bass note combinations are downright hideous. Yet, in some settings, they are used particularly in a lot of contemporary jazz tunes. By themselves, they sound awful - but if used sparingly, and usually as quick "passing chords" (to
move from one chord to another) , they can work. At the end of the day, its up to you to use your ear to determine whether or not your chord and
alternate bass note combination works in your song.
The nice thing about slash chords is that they can involve any type of chord major, minor, minor 7th, major 7th, etc.
Its worth mentioning that there are basically two kinds of slash chords
1) One in which one of the notes already in the chord is doubled, and used under the chord. Just to give an example C/E. The note E is one
of the notes in a basic C chord.
2) One in which the note underneath the chord is not a regular part of the chord. For example - Dm/Bb. The note Bb is not one of the notes
that make up a Dm chord. In many cases, a slash chord like this is actually a shorthand way of designating a more complex chord. In this
particular example, a Dm/Bb slash chord is actually a Bb Major 7th chord. However, a lesser experienced musician would normally find it
easier to think of Dm/Bb as just that a D minor chord with a Bb note in the bass, instead of as a Bb Major 7th chord.