Chord symbols play important roles in popular, folk, and jazz music.
A chord symbol is a letter and/or accidental which indicates a root pitch on which a chord
is to be built and other symbols which indicate the chord quality.
Most contemporary sheet-music, lead sheets, and
fake books contain melodies with chord symbols written above them. Many folk songs are written
with words only and chord symbols above the words.
Musicians use the chord symbols to improvise accompaniments to the given melody.
In the following example of the song "Rock-a-My Soul" the words are written with
the chord symbols C and G7 placed above certain words. The C means that a
C major triad is to accompany the words below it and the G7 means that a G major-minor
seventh chord is to accompany the words below it. Click on the speaker icon to listen to
the melody and accompaniment of the example. Click on each chord symbol to listen to the
melody and accompaniment for the duration of that chord.
Triads
A capital letter of the musical alphabet by itself or with an accidental indicates
a major triad with that note as the root. Bb means a B-flat major triad and G# means a G-sharp
major triad. Sometimes a capital M or the abbreviation "maj" will follow the root indicator. For
a minor triad a lower case m will follow the root indicator. Sometimes the abbreviation "min" will
be used or even the minus sign (-). A "o" or the abbreviation "dim" is used to indicate diminished
and a "+" sign or the abbreviation "aug" is used to indicate augmented. Refer to the triad chart below
for examples of chord symbols of triads with C as the root. The use of chord symbols has not been standardized;
therefore, more than one symbol can be used to indicate a chord. The most frequently used chord symbols are listed first.
Triad Symbol Chart
| Triad Quality |
Chord Symbols |
Chord Spelling |
|
Major |
C Cmaj CM | C, E, G |
|
Minor |
Cm Cmin C- | C, Eb, G |
|
Diminished |
Cdim Co | C, Eb, Gb |
|
Augmented |
Caug C+ C+5 | C, E, G# |
Seventh Chords
The number 7 is added to a chord symbol to indicate a seventh chord. A capital letter by itself with a 7
indicates a major-minor seventh chord. A capital "M" or the abbreviation "maj" indicates that a
major-major seventh chord is called for. A lower case "m" or the abbreviation "min" indicates a
minor-minor seventh chord. The symbol "o" before the 7 or the abbreviation "dim" indicates a
diminished-diminished seventh chord. For a diminished-minor seventh chord a slash is often
drawn through the "o" or the symbol "b5" will follow the 7. The b5 means to lower the fifth
of a minor chord by one-half step thus making a diminished chord. Refer to the seventh chord
chart below.
Seventh Chord Symbols
| 7th Chord Quality |
Chord Symbols |
Chord Spelling |
|
Major-Major |
CM7 Cmaj7 | C, E, G, B |
|
Major-Minor |
C7 | C, E, G, Bb |
|
Minor-Minor |
Cm7 Cmin7 C-7 | C, Eb, G, Bb |
|
Diminished-Minor |
CØ7 Cm7b5 | C, Eb, Gb, Bb |
|
Diminished-Diminished |
Cdim7 Co7 | C, Eb, Gb, Bbb |
Autumn Leaves
The following example of the song "Autumn Leaves" shows a written melody with chord symbols.
A guitarist would use the chord symbols to improvise an accompaniment to the melody.
In this example the guitarist strums an A minor-minor seventh chord, a D major-minor
seventh chord, a G major-major seventh chord, and a C major-major seventh chord. The
symbol F#m7b5 means to play a F# diminished-minor seventh chord. The b5 does not mean
to play a Cb but to lower the C# of an F# minor triad a half-step to C natural. The chord is spelled
F#, A, C, E. Finally a B major-minor seventh chord is followed by an Em triad. Click on
the speaker icon to listen to the example or on each measure to listen to each seventh chord.
