Understanding Chord Symbols?
A chord's name is comprised of it's letter name, either A, B, C, D, E, F, or G and its chord type information symbol which encapsulates the instructions for building a chord.
- The capital letter A, B, C, D, E, F or G is the Root or letter name of the chord.
- The chord designation, chord type follows based on its basic triad type: Major, Minor, Diminished or Augmented. A major designation is not required for triads as this is the default chord type and the most common chord type. 4-part chords require a 7th (seventh) designation or the highest upper partial or extension ( 9, 11, 13 ) above the seventh. maj7, m7, °7, +7, maj9, m9, 11, 15, etc...
- Followed by any alterations ( b5, #5, b9, #9, #11, b13 ) or added pitches. These can be in parentheses 9(#5) 13(b5), ...
Major |
Major is the most common chord and by default the maj or major part of the chord is rarely written or even pronounced. Common symbols: M, MAJ, maj, Δ |
C, CM, Cmaj, CMAJ, CΔ The capital “M” should be avoided. Especially in its handwritten form as it is hard to distingish between an uppercase and the lowerscase ”m” for a minor chord. |
Minor |
Common symbols: m, min, - |
Cm, C- |
Diminished |
Common symbols: dim, ° |
Cdim, C° |
Augmented |
Common symbols: aug, + |
Caug, C+ |
Seventh |
A seventh chord sometimes called a Dominant Seventh chord. Common symbols: 7 |
C7 |
add |
add refers to adding a note to the base chord. The add is typically used with major and minor chords and represented as a number referring to the interval of the note from the chord’s corresponding scale to add to the chord. |
Cadd9 |
sus |
sus implies the suspension of the third of a major, minor or seventh chord. |
Csus4, C7sus4 |
End of Lesson - Thanks, Hope You Enjoyed It!
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Upper Partials and Chord Extensions • Updated: May 15, 2019
A chord extension or upper partial are the chord tones above the octave and not one of the fundamental 4-part chord tones. These are the ninths, elevenths and thirteenths of chords.
All chord extensions on ukulele will displace a fundamental chord tone. This is even true for guitar with the ability to add the extension to another string.
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