Post on 10-Feb-2018
transcript
7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
1/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 1
Chord names and symbols (popular music)
C7
, or major seventh chord on C Play.
Various kinds of chord names and symbols are used in different
contexts, to represent musical chords. In most genres of popular music,
including jazz, pop, and rock, a chord name and the corresponding
symbol are typically composed of one or more of the following parts:
1. The root note (e.g. C).
2. The chord quality (e.g. major, maj, or M).
3. The number of an interval (e.g. seventh, or 7), or less often its full
name or symbol (e.g. major seventh, maj7, or M7).
4. The altered fifth (e.g. sharp five, or 5).
5. An additional interval number (e.g. add 13 or add13), in added tone chords.
For instance, the name C augmented seventh, and the corresponding symbol Caug7, or C+7, are both composed of
parts 1, 2, and 3.
Except for the root, these parts do not refer to the notes which form the chord, but to the intervals they form with
respect to the root. For instance, Caug7 indicates a chord formed by the notes C-E-G-B. The three parts of the
symbol (C, aug, and 7) refer to the root C, the augmented (fifth) interval from C to G, and the (minor) seventh
interval from C to B. A set of decoding rules is applied to deduce the missing information.
Although they are used occasionally in classical music, these names and symbols are "universally used in jazz and
popular music",[1] usually inside lead sheets, fake books, and chord charts, to specify the harmony of compositions.
Other notation systems for chords include:[2]
plain staff notation, used in classical music, Roman numerals,
commonly used in harmonic analysis,[3] figured bass, much used in the Baroque era, and macro symbols, sometimes
used in modern musicology.
Advantages and limitations
Any chord can be denoted using staff notation, showing not only its harmonic characteristics but also its exact
voicing. However, this notation, frequently used in classical music, may provide too much information, making
improvisation difficult. In fact, although voicings can and do have a significant effect on the subjective musical
qualities of a composition, generally these interpretations retain the central characteristics of the chord. This provides
an opportunity for improvisation within a defined structure and is important to improvised music such as jazz. Other
problems are that voicings for one instrument are not necessarily physically playable on another (for example, the
thirteenth chord, played on piano with up to seven notes, is usually played on guitar as a 4- or 5-note voicing that is
impossible to play on piano with one hand).
As a result of these limitations, a shorthand which describes the harmonic characteristics of chords is used in pop
music and jazz. This notation has an advantage of being more easily expressed in plain text and in handwriting than
the relatively complicated process of writing chords on a staff. It is also faster to read.
The first part of a symbol for a chord defines the root of the chord. The root of the chord will always be played by
one of the instruments in the ensemble (usually by a bass instrument) failure to include the root means that the
indicated chord is not being played. By convention, the root alone indicates a simple major triad, i.e., the root, the
major third, and the perfect fifth above the root. After this, various additional symbols are added to modify this
chord. There is unfortunately no universal standard for these symbols. The most common ones are to be presented
following here, below.
This notation does not easily provide for ways of describing all chords. Some chords can be very difficult to notate,and others that exist theoretically are rarely encountered. For example, there are 6 possible permutations of triads
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Permutationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Permutationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Permutationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plain_texthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Guitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pianohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thirteenth_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jazzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Musical_compositionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Musical_improvisationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Voicing_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Staff_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Musicologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Macro_analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baroque_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Figured_basshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harmonyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roman_numerals%23Music_theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Staff_notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_%28music%29%23Notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compositionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harmonyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fake_bookshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lead_sheethttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Classical_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Added_tone_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Interval_number_and_qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Root_%28chord%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rock_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pop_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jazzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Popular_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_popular_music_genreshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_%28music%29%23Notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AMajor_seventh_chord_on_C.png7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
2/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 2
(chords with three notes) involving minor or major thirds and perfect, augmented, or diminished fifths. However,
conventionally only four are used (major, minor, augmented and diminished). There is nothing to stop a composer
using the other two, but the question of what to call them is interesting. A minor third with an augmented fifth might
be denoted, for example, by Am+, which will strike most musicians as odd. In fact, this turns out to be the same as
F/A (see slash chords below). A major third with a diminished fifth might be shown as A(5).
Usually, when composers require a chord that is not easily described using this notation, they will indicate therequired chord in a footnote or in the header of the music.
Chord quality
Chord qualities are related with the qualities of the component intervals which define the chord (see below). The
main chord qualities are:
Major, and minor.
Augmented, diminished, and half-diminished.
Dominant.
Some of the symbols used for chord quality are similar to those used for interval quality: m, or min for minor,
M, maj, or no symbol (see rule 2 below) for major,
aug for augmented,
dim for diminished.
In addition, however,
is sometimes used for major,[4] instead of the standard M, or maj,
is sometimes used for minor, instead of the standard m or min,
+, or aug, is used for augmented (A is not used),
o, , dim, is used for diminished (d is not used),
, or is used for half diminished,
dom is used for dominant.
Chord qualities are sometimes omitted (see below). When specified, they appear immediately after the root note or,
if the root is omitted, at the beginning of the chord name or symbol. For instance, in the symbol Cm7 (C minor
seventh chord) C is the root and m is the chord quality. When the terms minor, major, augmented, diminished, or the
corresponding symbols do not appear immediately after the root note, or at the beginning of the name or symbol,
they should be considered interval qualities, rather than chord qualities. For instance, in Cm/M7 (minor major
seventh chord), m is the chord quality and M refers to the M7 interval.
Major, minor, augmented, and diminished chords3-note chords are called triads. There are four basic triads (major, minor, augmented, diminished). They are all
tertian, which means defined by the root, a third interval, and a fifth interval. Since most other chords are obtained
by adding one or more notes to these triads, the name and symbol of a chord is often built by just adding an interval
number to the name and symbol of a triad. For instance, a C augmented seventh chord is a C augmented triad with an
extra note defined by a minor seventh interval:
C+7 = C+ + m7
augmentedchord augmentedtriad minor
interval
In this case, the quality (minor, in the example) of the additional interval is omitted. Less often, the full name or
symbol of the additional interval is provided. For instance, a C augmented major seventh chord is a C augmented
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifth_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_%28music%29%23Secundal%2C_tertian%2C_and_quartal_chordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Triad_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Shorthand_notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominant_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Half-diminished_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Quality7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
3/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 3
triad with an extra note defined by a major seventh interval:
C+M7 = C+ + M7
augmentedchord augmentedtriad major
interval
In both cases, the quality of the chord is the same as the quality of the basic triad it contains. This is not true for all
chord qualities, as the chord qualities "half-diminished", and "dominant" refer not only to the quality of the basic
triad, but also to the quality of the additional intervals.
Altered fifths
A more complex approach is sometimes used to name and denote augmented and diminished chords. An augmented
triad can be viewed as a major triad in which the perfect fifth interval (spanning 7 semitones) has been substituted
with an augmented fifth (8 semitones), and a diminished triad as a minor triad in which the perfect fifth has been
substituted with a diminished fifth (6 semitones). In this case, the augmented triad can be named major triad sharp
five, or major triad augmented fifth (M5, M+5, majaug5). Similarly, the diminished triad can be named minor triad
flat five, or minor triad diminished fifth (m5, m5, mindim5).
Again, the terminology and notation used for triads affects the terminology and notation used for larger chords,
formed by four or more notes. For instance, the above mentioned C augmented major seventh chord, is sometimes
called C major seventh sharp five, or C major seventh augmented fifth. The corresponding symbol is CM7+5
, CM75
,
or Cmaj7aug5:
CM7+5 = C + M3 + A5 + M7
augmentedchord chord
root
major
interval
augmentedinterval major
interval
(In chord symbols, the symbol A, used for augmented intervals, is typically replaced by + or )
In this case, the chord is viewed as a C major seventh chord (CM7) in which the third note is an augmented fifth
from root (G), rather than a perfect fifth from root (G). All chord names and symbols including altered fifths, i.e.
augmented (5, +5, aug5) or diminished (5, 5, dim5) fifths can be interpreted in a similar way.
Rules to decode chord names and symbols
The amount of information provided in a chord name or symbol lean toward the minimum, to increase efficiency.
However, it is often necessary to deduce from a chord name or symbol the component intervals which define the
chord. The missing information is implied and must be deduced according to some conventional rules:
1.1. General rule to interpret existing information about chord quality
For triads, major or minor always refer to the third interval, while augmented and diminished always refer to
the fifth. The same is true for the corresponding symbols (e.g., Cm means Cm3, and C+ means C+5). Thus, the
terms third and fifth and the corresponding symbols 3 and 5 are typically omitted.
This rule can be generalized to all kinds of chords,[5]
provided the above mentioned qualities appear
immediately after the root note, or at the beginning of the chord name or symbol. For instance, in the chord
symbols Cm and Cm7, m refers to the interval m3, and 3 is omitted. When these qualities do not appear
immediately after the root note, or at the beginning of the name or symbol, they should be considered interval
qualities, rather than chord qualities. For instance, in Cm/M7 (minor-major seventh chord), m is the chord
quality and refers to the m3 interval, while M refers to the M7 interval. When the number of an extra intervalis specified immediately after chord quality, the quality of that interval may coincide with chord quality (e.g.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor-major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifth_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Shorthand_notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Semitonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventh7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
4/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 4
CM7 = CM/M7). However, this is not always true (e.g. Cm6 = Cm/M6, C+7 = C+/m7, CM11 = CM/P11).[5]
See specific rules below for further details.
2.2. General rule to deduce missing information about chord quality
Without contrary information, a major third interval and a perfect fifth interval (major triad) are implied. For
instance, a C chord is a C major triad, and the name C minor seventh (Cm7) implies a minor 3rd by rule 1, a
perfect 5th by this rule, and a minor 7th by definition (see below). This rule has one exception (see the firstspecific rule below).
3.3. Specific rules
When the fifth interval is diminished, the third must be minor.[6] This rule overrides rule 2. For instance,
Cdim7 implies a diminished 5th by rule 1, a minor 3rd by this rule, and a diminished 7th by definition (see
below).
Names and symbols which contain only a plain interval number (e.g. Seventh chord) or the chord root and a
number (e.g. C seventh, or C7) are interpreted as follows:
If the number is 2, 4, 6, etc., the chord is a major added tone chord (e.g. C6 = CM6 = Cadd6) and
contains, together with the implied major triad, an extra major 2nd, perfect 4th, or major 6th (see below).
If the number is 7, 9, 11, 13, etc., the chord is dominant (e.g. C7 = Cdom7) and contains, together with
the implied major triad, one or more of the following extra intervals: minor 7th, major 9th, perfect 11th,
and major 13th (see Seventh chords and Extended chords below).
For sixth chord names or symbols composed only of root, quality and number (such as "C major sixth", or
"CM6"):
M, maj, or major stands for major-major(e.g. CM6 means CM/M6),
m, min, or minor stands for minor-major(e.g. Cm6 means Cm/M6).
For seventh chord names or symbols composed only of root, quality and number (such as "C major seventh",
or "CM7"):
dom, or dominant stands for major-minor(e.g. Cdom7 means CM/m7),
M, maj, or major stands for major-major(e.g. CM7 means CM/M7),
m, min, or minor stands for minor-minor(e.g. Cm7 means Cm/m7),
+, aug, or augmented stands for augmented-minor(e.g. C+7 means C+/m7),
o, dim, or diminished stands for diminished-diminished(e.g. Co7 means Co/o7),
, or half-diminished stands for diminished-minor(e.g. C7 means Co/m7).
Other specific rules for extended and added tone chords are given below.
Examples
The table shows the application of these generic and specific rules to interpret some of the main chord symbols. Thesame rules apply for the analysis of chord names. A limited amount of information is explicitly provided in the chord
symbol (boldface font in the column labeled "Component intervals"), and can be interpreted with rule 1. The rest is
implied (plain font), and can be deduced by applying the other rules. The "Analysis of symbol parts" is performed by
applying rule 1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boldfacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Added_tone_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Extended_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sixth_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominant_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_sixthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fourthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_secondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Added_tone_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_third7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
5/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 5
Chord Symbol Analysis of symbol parts Component intervals Notes Chord name
Short Long Root Third Fifth Added Third Fifth Added
C C maj3 perf5 C-E-G Major triad
CM[7]
Cmaj[7] C maj maj3 perf5 C-E-G
Cm Cmin C min min3 perf5 C-E-G Minor triad
C+ Caug C aug maj3 aug5 C-E-G Augmented triad
Co Cdim C dim min3 dim5 C-E-G Diminished triad
C6 C 6 maj3 perf5 maj6 C-E-G-A Major sixth chord
CM6[7]
Cmaj6[7] C maj 6 maj3 perf5 maj6
Cm6 Cmin6 C min 6 min3 perf5 maj6 C-E-G-A Minor sixth chord
C7 Cdom7 C 7 maj3 perf5 min7 C-E-G-B Dominant seventh chord
CM7 Cmaj7 C maj 7 maj3 perf5 maj7 C-E-G-B Major seventh chord
Cm7 Cmin7 C min 7 min3 perf5 min7 C-E-G-B Minor seventh chord
C+7 Caug7 C aug 7 maj3 aug5 min7 C-E-G-B Augmented seventh chord
Co7
Cdim7 C dim 7 min3 dim5 dim7 C-E-G-B Diminished seventh chord
C C dim min3 dim5 min7 C-E-G-B Half-diminished seventh chord
C7
C dim 7 min3 dim5 min7
CmM7
Cm/M7
Cm(M7)
Cm(maj7)
Cminmaj7
Cmin/maj7
Cmin(maj7)
C min maj7 min3 perf5 maj7 C-E-G-B Minor-major seventh chord
Intervals
A chord consists of two or more notes played simultaneously that are certain intervals apart with respect to the chord
root. The following table shows the labels given to these intervals and the respective notes for each of the twelve
keys. As explained above, chord notation provides a shorthand for intervals, not actual notes. This table provides a
mapping of intervals to actual notes to play.
Chord
root
Unison Minor
second
Major
second
Minor
third
Major
third
Perfect
fourth
Tritone Perfect
fifth
Minor
sixth
Major
sixth
Minor
seventh
Major
seventh
F F G G A A B B / C C D D E E
C C D D E E F F / G G A A B B
G G A A B B C C / D D E E F F
D D E E F F G G / A A B B C C
A A B B C C D D / E E F F G G
E E F F G G A A / B B C C D D
B B C C D D E E / F F G G A A
F F G G A A B B / C C D D E E
G G A A B B C C / D D E E F F
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_sixthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_sixthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_sixthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_sixthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tritonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fourthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fourthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_secondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_secondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_secondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_secondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unisonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Root_%28chord%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Root_%28chord%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor-major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Half-diminished_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominant_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_sixth_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_sixth_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifth_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifth_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_notation7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
6/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 6
C C D D E E F F / G G A A B B
D D E E F F G G / A A B B C C
G G A A B B C C / D D E E F F
A A B B C C D D / E E F F G G
D D E E F F G G / A A B B C C
E E F F G G A A / B B C C D D
A A B B C C D D / E E F F G G
B B C C D D E E / F F G G A A
Triads
As earlier suggested, the root written alone indicates a simple major triad. It consists of the root, the major third, and
the perfect fifth above the root. Minor triads are the same as major triads, but with the third lowered by a half step.
Augmented triads are the same as a major triad, but with an augmented fifth instead of a perfect fifth. Diminished
triads are similar to minor triads, but with a diminished fifth instead of a perfect fifth (the minor third is retained).
The table below shows names, symbols and definition for the four kinds of triads (using C as root).
Name Symbols Definitions
Short Long Altered
fifth
Component intervals Integers Notes
Third Fifth
Major triadC
CM[7]
C[4]
Cmaj[7] major perfect {0, 4, 7} C-E-G
Minor triad Cm
C
Cmin minor perfect {0, 3, 7} C-E-G
Augmented triad
(major triad sharp five)
C+ CaugCM
5
CM+5
major augmented {0, 4, 8} C-E-G
Diminished triad
(minor triad flat five)
C CdimCm
5
Cm5
minor diminished {0, 3, 6} C-E-G
Seventh chords
A seventh chord is a triad with an added note, which is either a major seventh above the root, a minor seventh above
the root (flatted 7th), or a diminished seventh above the root (double flatted 7th). Note that the diminished seventh
note is enharmonically equivalent to the major sixth above the root of the chord. When not otherwise specified, the
name "seventh chord" may more specifically refer to a major triad with an added minor seventh (a dominant seventh
chord).
The table below shows names, symbols, and definitions for the various kinds of seventh chords (using C as root).
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominant_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominant_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_sixthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enharmonically_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifth_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pitch_class%23Integer_notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_triad_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_triad_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_triadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Semitonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svg7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
7/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 7
Name Symbols Definitions
Short Long Altered
fifth
Component intervals Integers Notes
Third Fifth Seventh
Seventh
(dominant seventh)C
7Cdom
7 major perfect minor {0, 4, 7, 10} C-E-G-B
Major seventhCM
7CMa
7
Cj7
C7
C[4]
Cmaj7 major perfect major {0, 4, 7, 11} C-E-G-B
Minor-major seventhCm
M7
Cm7
CM7
C7
C
Cminmaj7 minor perfect major {0, 3, 7, 11} C-E-G-B
Minor seventhCm
7
C-7
Cmin7 minor perfect minor {0, 3, 7, 10} C-E-G-B
Augmented-major seventh
(major seventh sharp five)C+
M7
C+
Caugmaj7
CM75
/
CM7+5
C5
/ C+5
major augmented major {0, 4, 8, 11} C-E-G-B
Augmented seventh
(dominant seventh sharp five)C+
7Caug
7C7
5/ C7
+5 major augmented minor {0, 4, 8, 10} C-E-G-B
Half-diminished seventh
(minor seventh flat five)C
/ C
7
C/ C
7
Cmin7dim5
Cm75
/ Cm75
C75
/ C75
minor diminished minor {0, 3, 6, 10} C-E-G-B
Diminished seventhC
o7
C7
Cdim7 minor diminished diminished {0, 3, 6, 9} C-E-G-B
Seventh flat five
(dominant seventh flat five)C
75Cdom
7dim5 major diminished minor {0, 4, 6, 10} C-E-G-B
Many possible format variations are possible. The superscripts may be also written as ordinary font, sometimes
separated by a slash from the preceding parts of the symbol, or written within parentheses. For instance:
CM7
may be written CM7
CmM7 may be written as CmM7, Cm/M7, or Cm(M7).
Except for the root, all the other parts of the symbols may be superscripted. For instance:
CM7 may be written CM7
CM75
may be written CM75
, or CM75
.
Some 7th chords can be considered as triad chords with alternate bass. Examples:
Cm7 = C-E-G-B = E/C
Cmaj7 = C-E-G-B = Em/C
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alternate_basshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parentheseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slash_notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superscripthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominant_seventh_flat_five_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diminished_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Half-diminished_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Augmented_major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominant_seventh_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifth_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pitch_class%23Integer_notationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%297/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
8/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 8
Extended chords
Extended chords add further notes onto 7th chords. Of the 7 notes in the major scale, a seventh chord uses only 4.
The other 3 notes can be added in any combination; however, just as with the triads and seventh chords, notes are
most commonly stackeda seventh implies that there is a fifth and a third and a root. In practice, especially in jazz,
certain notes can be omitted without changing the quality of the chord.
The 9th, 11th and 13th chords are known as extended tertian chords. As the scale repeats for every seven notes in the
scale, these notes are enharmonically equivalent to the 2nd, 4th, and 6thexcept they are more than an octave above
the root. However, this does not mean that they must be played in the higher octave. Although changing the octave
of certain notes in a chord (within reason) does change the way the chord sounds, it does not change the essential
characteristics or tendency of it. Accordingly, using 9th, 11th and 13th in chord notation implies that the chord is an
extended tertian chord rather than an added chord (see Added Chords below).
9ths
9th chords are built by adding to a seventh chord a note which is an interval of a ninth from root. This implies that
the 7th note from root is also included in the chord. When the 7th is omitted, the chord cannot be classified as an
extended chord, as it becomes an added tone chord. 9ths may be theoretically added to any type of chord, however
they are most commonly seen with Major, Dominant and Minor sevenths.
The most commonly omitted note for voicings is the perfect 5th.
The table below shows names, symbols, and definitions for the various kinds of ninth chords (using C as root)
Name Symbol Quality
of
added 9th
Notes
Short Long
(Major) 9thCM
9/ C
9Cmaj
9 Major C-E-G-B-D
Dominant 9th C9 Cdom9 Major C-E-G-B-D
Minor Major 9thCm
M9/ C
M9Cmin
maj9 Major C-E-G-B-D
Minor Dominant 9thCm
9/ C
9Cmin
9 Major C-E-G-B-D
Augmented Major 9thC+
M9Caug
maj9 Major C-E-G-B-D
Augmented Dominant 9thC+
9/ C
95Caug
9 Major C-E-G-B-D
Half-Diminished 9thC
9 Major C-E-G-B-D
Half-Diminished Minor 9thC
9 Minor C-E-G-B-D
Diminished 9thC
9Cdim
9 Major C-E-G-B -D
Diminished Minor 9thC
9Cdim
9 Minor C-E-G-B -D
11ths
These are theoretically 9th chords with the 11th (4th) note in the scale added. However, it is common to leave certain
notes out. The major 3rd is often omitted because of a strong dissonance with the 11th (4th), therefore called an
avoid note. Omission of the 3rd reduces an 11th chord to the corresponding 9sus4 (suspended 9th chord; Aiken
2004, p. 104). Similarly, omission of the 3rd as well as 5th in C11 results in a major chord with alternate base B/C,
which is characteristic in soul and gospel music. For instance:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Suspended_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avoid_notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Added_tone_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enharmonically_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_%28music%29%23Secundal%2C_tertian%2C_and_quartal_chordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Extended_chords7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
9/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 9
C11 without 3rd = C-(E)-G-B-D-F C-F-G-B-D = C9sus4
C11 without 3rd and 5th = C-(E)-(G)-B-D-F C-F-B-D = B/C
If the 9th is omitted, the chord is no longer an extended chord, but an added tone chord (see below). Without the 3rd,
this added tone chord becomes a 7sus4 (suspended 7th chord). For instance:
C11 without 9th = C7add11 = C-E-G-B-(D)-F
C7add11
without 3rd = C-(E)-G-B-(D)-F C-F-G-B = C7sus4
The table below shows names, symbols, and definitions for the various kinds of eleventh chords (using C as root)
Name Symbol Quality of
added 11th
Notes
Short Long
11th
(dominant 11th)C
11Cdom
11 Perfect C-E-G-B-D-F
Major 11thCM
11Cmaj
11 Perfect C-E-G-B-D-F
Minor-Major 11thCm
M11/ C
M11Cmin
maj11 Perfect C-E-G-B-D-F
Minor 11th Cm11
/ C11
Cmin11 Perfect C-E-G-B-D-F
Augmented-Major 11thC+
M11Caug
maj11 Perfect C-E-G-B-D-F
Augmented 11thC+
11/ C
115Caug
11 Perfect C-E-G-B-D-F
Half-Diminished 11thC
11 Perfect C-E-G-B-D-F
Diminished 11thC
11Cdim
11 Diminished C-E-G-B -D-F
Alterations from the natural diatonic chords can be specified as C911 ... etc. Omission of the 5th in a sharped 11th
chord reduces its sound to a flat-five chord. (Aiken 2004, p. 94):
C911 = C-E-(G)-B-D-F C-E-G-B-D = C95
13ths
These are theoretically 11th chords with the 6th note in the scale added. Again it is common to leave certain notes
out. After the 5th, the most commonly omitted note is the troublesome 11th (4th). The 9th (2nd) can also be omitted.
A very common voicing on guitar for a 13th chord, for example, is just the root, 7th, 3rd and 13th (6th). For
example: C-E-(G)-B-(D)-(F)-A = C-E-A-B-(D)-(F) - on the piano it is usually voiced C-Bb-E-A.
The table below shows names, symbols, and definitions for some of thirteenth chords (using C as root)
Name Symbol Quality of
added 13th
Notes
Short Long
Major 13thCM
13/ C
13Cmaj
13 Major C-E-G-B-D-F-A
Dominant 13thC
13Cdom
13 Major C-E-G-B-D-F-A
Minor Major 13thCm
M13/ C
M13Cmin
maj13 Major C-E-G-B-D-F-A
Minor Dominant 13thCm
13/ C
13Cmin
13 Major C-E-G-B-D-F-A
Augmented Major 13thC+
M13Caug
maj13 Major C-E-G-B-D-F-A
Augmented Dominant 13thC+
13/ C
135Caug
13 Major C-E-G-B-D-F-A
Half-Diminished 13thC
13 Major C-E-G-B-D-F-A
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interval_%28music%29%23Qualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Added_tone_chord7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
10/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 10
Alterations from the natural diatonic chords can be specified as C1113 ... etc.
Added tone chords
An important characteristic of jazz is the extensive use of sevenths. The combination of 9th (2nd), 11th (4th) and
13th (6th) notes with 7ths in a chord give jazz chord voicing their distinctive sound. However the use of these notes
is not exclusive to the jazz genre; in fact they are very commonly used in folk, classical and popular music generally.
Without the 7th, these chords lose their jazzy feel, but can still be very complex. These chords are called added tone
chords because they are basic triads with notes added. They can be described as having a more open sound than
extended chords. Notation must provide some way of showing that a chord is an added tone chord as opposed to
extended. There are two ways this is shown generally, and it is very common to see both methods on the same score.
One way is to simply use the word 'add', for example:
Cadd9
The second way is to use 2 instead of 9, implying that it is not a 7th chord for instance:
C2
Note that in this way we potentially get other ways of showing a 9th chord:
C7add9
C7add2
C7/9
Generally however the above will be shown as simply C9, which implies a 7th in the chord. Added tone chord
notation is useful with 7th chords to indicate partial extended chords. For example:
C7add13
This would indicate that the 13th is added to the 7th, but without the 9th and 11th.
The use of 2, 4 and 6 as opposed to 9, 11 and 13 indicates that the chord does not include a 7th unless specifically
specified. However, it does not mean that these notes must be played within an octave of the root, nor the extendednotes in 7th chords should be played outside of the octave, although it is commonly the case. 6 is particularly
common in a minor sixth chord (also known as minor/major sixth chord, as the 6 refers to a major sixth interval).
It is possible to have added tone chords with more than one added note. The most commonly encountered of these
are 6/9 chords, which are basic triads with the 6th and 2nd notes of the scale added. These can be confusing because
of the use of 9, yet the chord does not include the 7th. A good rule of thumb is that if any added note is less than 7,
then no 7th is implied, even if there are some notes shown as greater than 7.
Similarly, even numbers such as 8, 10 and 12 can be added. However, these double the main triad, and as such are
fairly rare. 10 tends to be the most common; it can be used both in suspended chords and (with an accidental) in
major or minor chords to produce a major-minor clash (e.g. C7(10)
indicating the Hendrix chord of C-E-E-G-B).
However, because of enharmonics, such chords can more easily, and perhaps more intuitively, be represented by 2
(or 9) for a minor over a major or 4 for a major over a minor. In any other case, an 8, 10 or 12 simply indicates the
respective note from the triad doubled up one octave.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enharmonichttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hendrix_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_notehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=6/9_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_sixthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_sixth_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Added_tone_chordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Added_tone_chordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seventh_chord7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
11/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 11
Suspended Chords
A suspended chord is a triad where the 3rd is replacedby another note. In practice the 3rd is replaced either by the
4th or the 2nd. These chords "desire" to resolve into a normal triad. Suspended chords are notated with the symbols
"sus4" or "sus2". Where "sus" is found on its own, the suspended fourth chord is implied. This can be combined with
any other notation. So for example:
Csus9
This chord is an extended 9th chord with the 3rd replaced by the 4th (C-F-G-B-D). However, the major third can be
added as a tension above the 4th to "colorize" the chord (C-F-G-B-D-E). A sus4 chord with the added major third
(sometimes called a major 10th) can also be quartally voiced as C-F-B-E.
Power "chords"
Though power chords are not true chords per se, they are still expressed using a version of chord notation. Most
commonly, power chords (e.g. C-G-C) are expressed using a "5" (e.g. C5). Power chords are also referred to asfifth
chords, indeterminate chords or neutral chords (though the term "neutral chord," when expressed with an n (e.g.
Cn), is also used to describe a pair of stacked neutral thirds, e.g. C-E -G, which requires a quarter tone or similarlysized microtone; or the mixed third chord), since they are inherently neither major nor minor; generally, a power
chord refers to a specific doubled-root, three-note voicing of a fifth chord.
In the event that an extended neutral chord is to be played, e.g. a seventh (C-G-B), the chord is expressed as its
corresponding extended chord notation with the addition of the words "no3rd," "no3" or the like. The
aforementioned chord, for instance, would be indicated C7no3.
Inversions
In addition to all of the ways ofbuilding chords (listed above), a chord may be inverted. Inverting a chord refers to
playing a chord, but with a note other than the root as the lowest note of the chord. Take, for example, the C majorand the C dominant seventh chords. Refer to the tables below for a list of inversions.
C major chord
Root Position First Inversion Second Inversion
Notes CEG EGC GCE
Short notation C C/E C/G
C dominant seventh chord
Root Position First Inversion
Notes CEGB BCEG
Short notation C7 C7/B
The notation C/E indicates a C major chord, but with an E in the bass. Likewise the notation C/G indicates that a C
major chord is played with a G in the bass.
See figured bass for alternate method of notating specific notes in the bass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Figured_basshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quarter_tonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Llpd-%C2%BD.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neutral_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Power_chordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quartalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Suspended_chord7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
12/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 12
Hybrid chords
Upper structures
Those are notated in a similar manner to inversions, except that the bass note is not necessarily a chord tone.
Examples:
C/A (A C E G), equivalent to A75;
C/E (E G C F);
Am/D (D A C E).
Chord notation in jazz usually leaves a certain amount of freedom to the player as for voicing chords, also adding
tensions at the player's discretion. Therefore, upper structures are most useful when the composer wishes for a
specific tension array to be played. Example:
C/E | C/A E/A | D/E G75/A | Eadd 2/D D79/G | Am7/C ||
produces a certain coloration of the following chord progression:
E7 | Am7 A7 | Em7 A7 | D G7 | C ||
These are also commonly referred as "slash chords." A slash chord is simply a chord placed on top of a different bass
note; for example:
D/F# is a D chord with F# in the bass;
A/C# is an A chord with C# in the bass.
Slash chords generally do not indicate a simple inversion (which is usually left to the player's discretion anyway),
especially considering that the requested bass note may not be part of the chord to be played on top. The requested
bass note may be played instead of or in addition to the chord's usual root note, though the root note, when played, is
likely to be played only in a higher octave to avoid "colliding" with the new bass note.
PolychordsPolychords, as the name suggests, are combinations of two or more chords. The most commonly found form of a
polychord is a bi-chord (two chords played simultaneously) and is written as follows: (example: (C E
G B D F)). In case a very specific voicing is needed, the individual chords can be written in their desired
inversions, for example: (C G E G B E).
Other Symbols
The right slash/or diagonal line written above the staff where chord symbols occur is used to indicate a beat during
which the most recent chord symbol is understood to continue. It is used to help make uneven harmonic rhythms
more readable. For example, if written above a measure of standard time, "C / F G" would mean that the C chordsymbol lasts two beats while F and G last one beat each. The slash is separated from the surrounding chord symbols
so as not to be confused with the chord-over-a-bass-note notation that also uses a slash.
For chord abbreviations, the right slash indicates the bass note if other than the root. It is usually written with the
complete chord name, and, after the slash symbol, the desired bass note. For example, the symbol C/G would mean
that the chord to play is a C major triad with a G as the bass note, leading to the following notes: G C E (commonly
known as the 2nd inversion C major triad).
A right slash surrounded by two dots reminiscent of a percent sign % [illustration needed] in an otherwise empty
measure indicates that the chord or chords of the previous measure are to be repeated. It can be reused over many
consecutive measures. It is used to simplify the job of both the reader (who can quickly scan ahead to the next chord
change) and the copyist (who doesn't need to write out the full chord symbols repeatedly).
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beat_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slash_%28punctuation%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slash_chord7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
13/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 13
The chord notation N.C. is used to indicate no chord is to be played. The duration of this symbol follows the same
rules as a regular chord symbol.
Summary
Since the rules to decode chord notation are complex, a short article would not be sufficient to describe them clearly
and exhaustively. As a consequence, this article is relatively long and not easy to decipher at a glance. This section is
included as a brief summary of one of the notations described, aimed more at the performer's perspective, rather than
that of the composer or theorist.
As shown above, the symbol Cminmaj13
indicates a chord whose root is C, with each of the odd-numbered intervals,
up to the one indicated (13th in this case) placed above it. Namely, the chord is defined by the following
odd-numbered intervals:
Minor third (C-E)
Perfect fifth (C-G)
Major seventh (C-B)
Major ninth (C-D)
Perfect eleventh (C-F)
Major thirteenth (C-A)
Notice that all the intervals are major or perfect, except for the third which is minor, as specified by min in the
symbol. By comparing other chord symbols to Cminmaj13
, with the following set of rules it is possible to decode
several other chord symbols:
When the interval name (maj13) is omitted, it is understood to be a 5th, which implies that the chord is a triad.
When the interval quality (maj) is omitted, it causes the 7th (if present) to be flattened (from major to minor)
When the chord quality (min) is omitted, the 3rd is assumed to be major
When the chord quality is min (as in the example above), the 3rd is flattened (from major to minor)
When the chord quality is aug, the 5th is sharpened (from perfect to augmented) When the chord quality is dim, each of the intervals is flattened
When the chord quality is sus or sus4, the 3rd is sharpened (from major to augmented, equivalent to a perfect 4th)
When the chord quality is sus2 the 3rd is double-flattened (from major to diminished, equivalent to a major 2nd)
For instance, Cdim9 indicates a chord whose root is C, with a flattened 3rd, a flattened 5th, a double-flattened 7th
(flattened once by the presence ofdim, and flattened again by the omission of the maj) and a flattened 9th.
When a small even number is used as the main interval: 2 is equivalent to 9, 4 is equivalent to 11, and 6 is equivalent
to 13; but with the omission of the 7th, possibly implied in each case; and when the number is explicitly stated as a 5,
it implies the omission of the 3rd.
In the vast majority of cases, though, none of this complexity is involved. A typical piece of music might stipulatechords like C, F, Amin, and G7, giving (according to the summary above) two major triads, a minor triad, and an
extended chord of four notes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enharmonically_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enharmonically_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Triad_%28music%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_thirteenthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_eleventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_ninthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_seventhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Perfect_fifthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_third7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
14/15
Chord names and symbols (popular music) 14
Notes
[1] Benward & Saker (2003).Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. I, p. 78. Seventh Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0.
[2] Benward & Saker (2003).Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. I, p. 77. Seventh Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0.
[3] Arnold Schoenberg, Structural Functions of Harmony, Faber and Faber, 1983, p.1-2.
[4][4] The symbol is ambiguous, as it is used by some as a synonym for M (e.g. C=CM and C7=CM7), and by others as a synonym of M7
(e.g. C=CM7).
[5] General rule 1 achieves consistency in the interpretation of symbols such as CM7, Cm6, and C+7. Some musicians legitimately prefer tothink that, in CM7, M refers to the seventh, rather than to the third. This alternative approach is legitimate, as both the third and seventh are
major, yet it is inconsistent, as a similar interpretation is impossible for Cm6 and C+7 (in Cm6, m cannot possibly refer to the sixth, which is
major by definition, and in C+7, + cannot refer to the seventh, which is minor). Both approaches reveal only one of the intervals (M3 or M7),
and require other rules to complete the task. Whatever is the decoding method, the result is the same (e.g., CM7 is always conventionally
decoded as C-E-G-B, implying M3, P5, M7). The advantage of rule 1 is that it has no exceptions, which makes it the simplest possible
approach to decode chord quality.
According to the two approaches, some may format CM7 as CM7
(general rule 1: M refers to M3), and others as CM7
(alternative approach: M
refers to M7). Fortunately, even CM7
becomes compatible with rule 1 if it is considered an abbreviation of CMM7
, in which the first M is
omitted. The omitted M is the quality of the third, and is deduced according to rule 2 (see above), consistently with the interpretation of the
plain symbol C, which by the same rule stands for CM.
[6] All triads are tertian chords (chords defined by sequences of thirds), and a major third would produce in this case a non-tertian chord.
Namely, the diminished fifth spans 6 semitones from root, thus it may be decomposed into a sequence of two minor thirds, each spanning 3
semitones (m3 + m3), compatible with the definition of tertian chord. If a major third were used (4 semitones), this would entail a sequence
containing a major second (M3 + M2 = 4 + 2 semitones = 6 semitones), which would not meet the definition of tertian chord.
[7][7] Rarely used symbol. A shorter symbol exists, and is used more frequently.
References
Aikin, Jim (2004). Chords & Harmony. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-798-6
Carl Brandt and Clinton Roemer (1976). Standardized Chord Symbol Notation. Roevick Music Co. Cited in
Benward & Saker (2003), p. 76.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minor_thirdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chord_%28music%29%23Secundal%2C_tertian%2C_and_quartal_chords7/22/2019 Chords Names and Symbols
15/15
Article Sources and Contributors 15
Article Sources and ContributorsChord names and symbols (popular music) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=500329040 Contributors: Adavidb, AndrewWTaylor, Another Stickler, Anthony Appleyard,
Bdodo1992, BeautifulFlying, CharlesGillingham, Chris the speller, Closedmouth, Dalahst, Ddxc, Dndn1011, Dormous, Download, Elonka, Everyking, Feldhaus, FordPrefect42, Garkbit, Gary
King, Gr1st, H2oz7v, Hearfourmewesique, Hooperbloob, Hu, Hyacinth, Icairns, Ilikeeatingwaffles, Irontightarguments, Ish ishwar, Iviney, J04n, JMyrleFuller, Jaksmata, Jpgordon, Kpufferfish,
Mange01, Mooquu, Musiphil, Mylemans, Paolo.dL, Peterdjones, Philip Trueman, PhnomPencil, Phorgan1, Prophet of the Most High, Rah9639, Red van man, Renick, RichardNeill,
Richardosmond, Rigadoun, ShakingSpirit, Stephen Burnett, Stephenjberry, Tedder, TheAMmollusc, Timsabin, TudorTulok, Typedlambda, VernoWhitney, Waldgyst, Wavelength, Xihr, 360
anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:Major seventh chord on C.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Major_seventh_chord_on_C.png License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors:
User:Hyacinth
File:Doubleflat.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Doubleflat.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Aotake, Spiritia
File:DoubleSharp.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DoubleSharp.svg License: unknown Contributors:
File:Llpd-.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Llpd-.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Papy77
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/