How to read chord symbols – Chaka Music Production

In this article I will discuss an important tip for all musicians, both beginners and professionals, namely how to read chord symbols.

I will take an example with a C chord, if it is written plainly like C it means the chord type is major

C means a major chord type

C- means minor chord type

C o means diminished chord type

C+ means augmented chord type

What about four-note chords?

C maybe 7 =. C major with the addition of the 7th chord interval of C

C min 7 / C-7 = C minor 7, meaning a C minor chord with the addition of the Bb note (7th minor interval) from the note C

C7 = C dominant 7 means a C major chord with the addition of Bb notes (with minor 7th intervals) in the order, CEG-Bb. This Bb note produces a dominant character because it creates an interval newt with the note E, this dominant sound will be explained further in functional harmony <—-will explain later (that's why subscribe to the channel first, hehe :)

C dim7 means full diminished chord, C-Eb-Gb-Bbb (A) <—-I'll explain later, why don't I just point out A like that... later okay?

C7#5/ C7+ means a chord added with an additional Bli note

So, if there are 9, 11, 13, what are they?

Compound interval, meaning a chord that has additional notes above 1 octave root /bass notes. and 9, 11, 13 as option notes, meaning notes that can be additional color options for the type of chord that is being sounded.

For example, Cmaj9: C – E – G – B -C1 (already an octave, right?) now we add the note D which is the interval 9 from C (root) so the arrangement is C – E – G – B -D

This also applies to interval 11, where if C is the root, it means that interval 11 is F, However, there is a slight exception for the 11th interval in a major chord, because F creates a tritone interval with B, so usually F is raised half to #11 <—-you must be confused, right? Well, there's a term too Consonant & Dissonantbut we’ll learn this later, okay?

However, in dominant chord types, the 11th interval can still be used as a substitute for the 3rd interval or as a function depends before finish to 3/10 intervals. This produces a sus chord sound and is often used as a substitute for the dominant 7th chord in pop music because its character is softer but still functions well to deliver the Tonic.

In the closing interval 13, this interval is often used for major and dominant chords. it will be written C maj 13 for the major chord type or C13 for the dominant chord type.

CEGBA

The unique thing about chord 13 is that because it is at the very end, intervals 9 and 11 can be included in the chord series.

Cmaj13 =. CEGBD (9)-F# (#11) -A (13).

C13 = C – E – G – Bb – D – F# – A

C13sus = C – G – Bb – D –

Then what about Slash Chords?

In the simplest form we know inversion This is where the slash chord starts, this happens on the bass note which is still in the chord section.

Root position

C – E – G – C

inversion 1 can also be written as C/E

E (bass) – CGC

inversion 2

G (bass) C – E – C1. usually also written as C/G

If the bass note is not part of the chord, for example D/C means the chord is D but the bass note which was originally D is replaced with a C note

Changed Tone

• #9 and b5 don’t really need to be written, for example Ab7#9 which is a B natural note, so it’s easier to write Ab7alt
• #5 is rarely used, as people tend to use b13 instead
• b9 is not used in minor chords
• natural 9 is not used in altered chords
• Altered chord means that intervals 5 and 9 can go up or down by half, used in dominant chords.
• The use of altered chords must match the melody.

Polichord

In improvised jazz music, the term polychords is usually more commonly recognized because of the stacking chord features. for example Cmaj9#11 CEGBDF# on the top three notes is a B minor triad, while the bottom chord is C major.

NO 7 Chords

C6 = C minor triad with additional note 6, usually arranged without the interval 7 (see example)

C6/9 is often used in jazz music, for voicing it is also rare to use 5 examples; CEAD, interval 5 is usually played by bass players.

Cmin6, C minor triad with additional interval 6, this chord is often associated with the half diminished chord because of the similarity in filling, the only difference is that interval 6 is used as a bass note.

Other references:

JAZZOLOGY Robert Rawlins