{"id":14759,"date":"2023-08-04T14:58:53","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T21:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=14759"},"modified":"2023-12-05T13:19:11","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T21:19:11","slug":"chord-symbols-piano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/chord-symbols-piano\/","title":{"rendered":"Chord Symbols, Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/04152548\/Chord-Symbol-1920x1080-1-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14821\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/04152548\/Chord-Symbol-1920x1080-1-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/04152548\/Chord-Symbol-1920x1080-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/04152548\/Chord-Symbol-1920x1080-1-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/04152548\/Chord-Symbol-1920x1080-1-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/04152548\/Chord-Symbol-1920x1080-1-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Uppercase M\u2019s, lowercase m\u2019s, triangles, numbers\u2026chord symbols can be confusing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a no-nonsense guide designed to quickly explain and decode chord symbols you may run across. For a more comprehensive review of the theory behind chords, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/all-piano-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Play ALL Piano Chords<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chord Theory 101<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#anatomy-of-a-chord-symbol\">Anatomy of a Chord Symbol<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#chord-symbols-quick-reference\">Chord Symbols: Quick Reference<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-to-interpret-chord-symbols\">How to Interpret Chord Symbols<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anatomy-of-a-chord-symbol\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Anatomy of a Chord Symbol<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We can break down most chord symbols into components that each tell a piece of the chord\u2019s story.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/01094311\/Chord-Anatomy-1024x576.png\" alt=\"CHORD SYMBOLS. Components of &quot;Cmaj7#5&quot; labelled. &quot;C&quot; is Chord Name: the root note of the chord and what the chord is built on and named after. &quot;maj&quot; is Chord Quality: the sound of the chord - major, minor, diminished etc. &quot;7&quot; is Extension: scale degrees to include in the chord that are beyond the root, third and fifth. &quot;#5&quot; is Alterations: further ways in which the chord is altered. In this case the fifth is raised.\" class=\"wp-image-14760\" style=\"width:768px;height:432px\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/01094311\/Chord-Anatomy-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/01094311\/Chord-Anatomy-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/01094311\/Chord-Anatomy-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/01094311\/Chord-Anatomy.png 1422w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chord-name\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Chord Name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>eg. C, D\u266d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the first letter you&#8217;ll see and what the chord is named after. This note is the root of the chord, so our chord formulas will be based on its scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chord-quality\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Chord Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Eg. M, m, \u0394, dim<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The letters here will tell you the overall sound of the chord, such as major (\u201cmaj\u201d or \u201c\u0394\u201d or \u201cM\u201d) or minor (\u201cm\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Chord Quality<\/th><th>Symbols You Might See<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Major<\/td><td>M<br>maj<br>\u0394*<br>No symbol**<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Minor<\/td><td>M<br>&#8211;<br>min<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Augmented<\/td><td>aug<br>+<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Diminished<\/td><td>dim<br><sup>o<\/sup><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Half-diminished***<\/td><td><sup>\u00f8<\/sup><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>*Some people use \u0394 to indicate any major tonality; while others use \u0394 as a shorthand for a major 7th chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>**Major chords typically omit this component. So, it\u2019s rare that you\u2019ll see \u201cCmaj.\u201d Most notation will just have \u201cC.\u201d Dominant 7th (eg. C7), power chords (eg. C5), and major 6th chords (eg. C6) also omit this component.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***Half-diminished chords are seventh chords and can also be expressed as \u201cm7\u266d5.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chord-extension\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Chord Extension<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Eg. 7, 9, 11, 13<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the chord contains more notes than the root, third, and fifth (triad), a number here will indicate an extension. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cmaj7:<\/strong> C major triad extended to the seventh (1-3-5-7)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cm11:<\/strong> C minor triad extended to the eleventh (1-\u266d3-5-\u266d7-9-11)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Chord extensions are common in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnjazzstandards.com\/blog\/learning-jazz\/jazz-theory\/chord-extensions-alterations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">jazz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"alterations\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Alterations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Eg. \u266d5, #5<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional symbols may be tacked onto the end of the chord to indicate altered chord tones. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cm7\u266d5: <\/strong>A minor 7th chord where the fifth is flatted. (This is also called a half-diminished chord and can be notated as just C<sup>\u00f87<\/sup>.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cmaj7#5: <\/strong>A major 7th chord where the fifth is raised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"other-symbols\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Other Symbols<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>These chord symbols can be particularly puzzling for beginners, so here\u2019s a quick explanation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cAdd\u201d chords: <\/strong>An \u201cadd\u201d chord is when an extra chord tone gets added to an existing chord. For example, Cadd9 indicates a C major triad plus an added 9th.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>C<\/strong><strong><sup>6\/9<\/sup><\/strong>: This indicates a 6th chord with an added 9th.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Minor major: <\/strong>A chord like Cm(maj7) is a minor major chord. You can think of this as a minor triad with an added major 7th interval. For example, Cm(maj7) is C-E\u266d-G-B where C-E\u266d-G is the minor triad and C-B is a major 7th.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cSus\u201d chords:<\/strong> This indicates that the third of a triad be replaced with another chord tone. For example, Csus4 means replacing the third of the C major triad with the 4th.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Slashes: <\/strong>You can think of a slash chord like C\/E as \u201cC major triad over E.\u201d Play the C chord with your right hand over an E in the bass with your left.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chord-symbols-quick-reference\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Chord Symbols: Quick Reference<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s a summary of what you might see on a chord chart or lead sheet and what each symbol means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Chord Symbols You Might See<\/th><th>Type of Chord<\/th><th>Chord Formula<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>C, C\u0394, Cmaj<\/td><td>Major triad<\/td><td>1-3-5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C-, Cm<\/td><td>Minor triad<\/td><td>1-\u266d3-5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C+, Caug<\/td><td>Augmented triad<\/td><td>1-3-\u266f5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C<sup>o<\/sup>, Cdim<\/td><td>Diminished triad<\/td><td>1-\u266d3-\u266d5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C6<br>Cm6<\/td><td>6th chord<\/td><td>1-3-5-6<br>1-\u266d3-5-6<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C5<\/td><td>Power chord<\/td><td>1-5 or 1-5-1<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C\u0394<sup>7<\/sup>, Cmaj7, CM7<\/td><td>Major 7th chord<\/td><td>1-3-5-7<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cm7, C-7<\/td><td>Minor 7th chord<\/td><td>1-\u266d3-5-\u266d7<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cm(maj7), Cm<sup>M7<\/sup>, Cm<sup>\u266f7<\/sup>, C\u2212<sup>M7<\/sup>, C\u2212<sup>\u03947<\/sup>, C\u2212<sup>\u0394<\/sup><\/td><td>Minor major 7th chord<\/td><td>1-\u266d3-5-7<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C7<\/td><td>Dominant 7th chord<\/td><td>1-3-5-\u266d7<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cm7\u266d5, C<sup>\u00f87<\/sup><\/td><td>Half-diminished 7th chord<\/td><td>1-\u266d3-\u266d5-\u266d7<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C<sup>o7<\/sup>, Cdim7<\/td><td>Diminished 7th chord<\/td><td>1-\u266d3-\u266d5-\u266d\u266d7<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cmaj9<br>Cmaj11<br>Cmaj13<\/td><td>Major 7th chord with extension<\/td><td>1-3-5-7-9<br>1-3-5-7-9-11<br>1-3-5-7-9-11-13<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C9<br>C11<br>C13<\/td><td>Dominant 7th chord with extension<\/td><td>1-3-5-\u266d7-9<br>1-3-5-\u266d7-9-11<br>1-3-5-\u266d7-9-11-13<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cadd9<br>C<sup>6\/9<\/sup><\/td><td>Add chord<\/td><td>1-3-5 + 9<br>1-3-5-6 + 9<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Csus4<br>Csus2<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/sus-piano-chords-101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Suspended chord<\/a><\/td><td>1-4-5<br>1-2-5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C\/E<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/slash-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Slash chord<\/a><\/td><td>Play the <em>chord<\/em> on the left with your right hand &#8220;over&#8221; the <em>note<\/em> on the right with your left hand.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"strong-all-piano-chords-in-one-marvelous-book-strong\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>All Piano Chords&#8230;In One Free Download!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">The Piano Chords &amp; Scales book is one of our top-selling products of all time. Now, you can get it electronically <em>for free<\/em>. That means you can instantly look up scales and chords on your phone, tablet, or laptop without hunting for WiFi. The book contains major, blues, pentatonic, and all three minor scales. Plus major, minor, and 7th chords in all inversions, and sus chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/digital-chords-scales-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GET IT NOW<\/a><\/center>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"771\" height=\"991\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/05131846\/chords-and-scales-ipad.png\" alt=\"Piano Chords and Scales book cover with keyboard design on iPad.\" class=\"wp-image-16083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/05131846\/chords-and-scales-ipad.png 771w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/05131846\/chords-and-scales-ipad-233x300.png 233w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/05131846\/chords-and-scales-ipad-768x987.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-interpret-chord-symbols\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>How to Interpret Chord Symbols<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An important thing to remember is that when you see a chord symbol on a lead sheet, you don\u2019t have to play every single note in that chord symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you see C13, you don\u2019t have to play C-E-G-B\u266d-D-F-A. That\u2019s a lot of notes and it\u2019ll sound muddy! Instead, musicians usually use chord symbols as a guide. So for C13, you may play C-E-B\u266d with your left hand and improvise with D, F, and A in your right hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In jazz lead sheets, the extension number sometimes points to a note in the melody. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you found this post helpful! Happy chording \ud83c\udfb9<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>Learn to Read Music, Step-by-Step \ud83d\udd25<\/b><\/h3><p>Get a deeper dive into piano, sight reading, and theory as a Pianote+ Member. You\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists and learn whenever you  want, wherever you want, and whatever you want.<\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overwhelmed by chord symbols? Here\u2019s a simple no-nonsense guide that decodes everything you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":14159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[507,510],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chord-theory","category-theory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14759"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16085,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14759\/revisions\/16085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}