Chord Symbols
A chord symbol is a compact recipe. Read it from left to right: root, chord quality, seventh or extension, alterations and an optional bass note after a slash. Each part changes a specific note or adds new information. Follow the interactive lesson below to learn more.
Decode the symbol, then hear the chord
Cmaj7 stops being a code once you know which part means what.
What you just learned
- The letter
A bare letter means major
C alone means C, E and G. F means F, A and C, the same four then three.
C = C E G · F = F A CRead the full answer ↓ - The small print
Small m lowers only the third
Cm moves E down one half step to E♭. The root and the fifth stay where they are.
C E G → C E♭ GRead the full answer ↓ - The small print
A bare 7 means B♭
C7 adds B♭, ten half steps above C. B, eleven half steps up, would be Cmaj7.
C7 = C E G B♭Read the full answer ↓ - Stack it up
Cmaj7 lifts the seventh
Cmaj7 moves B♭ up one half step to B. Same four positions, a completely different chord.
C E G B♭ → C E G BRead the full answer ↓ - Stack it up
Read it left to right
Cm7 is C, E♭, G and B♭. Read where you start, what kind, then what is stacked on top.
Cm7 = C E♭ G B♭Read the full answer ↓ - Good to know
The slash names the bass
The note after a slash is the lowest note. C/E is a C major chord with E in the bass.
C/E = E under C E GRead the full answer ↓
Where to go from here
Every part of the lesson, answered in full
Open any question to read the full answer.
What does the first letter mean?
The first capital letter names the root: C, D, E and so on. A sharp or flat directly after it changes the root, as in F sharp or B flat.
The root is the note from which the chord tones are measured. It does not have to be the lowest note you play. C/E is still a C chord, but E is placed in the bass.
With no other symbol, a letter normally means a major triad. C means C-E-G. Cm adds a minor-quality mark and means C-E flat-G.
How do chord-quality symbols work?
The quality sign immediately after the root tells you how the basic chord is built:
- C: C major, C-E-G
- Cm or Cmin: C minor, C-E flat-G
- Cdim: C diminished, C-E flat-G flat
- Caug or C+: C augmented, C-E-G sharp
- Csus2: C-D-G, with the second replacing the third
- Csus4: C-F-G, with the fourth replacing the third
- C5: C-G, a root-fifth power chord with no third
Typography varies between charts. The musical test is always the same: translate the symbol into scale degrees and note names before guessing from its appearance.
What does 7 mean?
A plain 7 means a minor seventh is added to a major triad. C7 contains C-E-G-B flat. This is a dominant seventh chord.
A major seventh needs an explicit maj mark. Cmaj7 contains C-E-G-B. The difference between C7 and Cmaj7 is B flat versus B.
A minor seventh chord combines the minor-quality mark with the 7: Cm7 is C-E flat-G-B flat.
Read the letters in order. In CmMaj7, the first m makes the triad minor and Maj7 specifies a major seventh, producing C-E flat-G-B.
What do 9, 11 and 13 mean?
The numbers continue stacking thirds above the seventh:
- 9 is the same pitch class as scale degree 2
- 11 is the same pitch class as degree 4
- 13 is the same pitch class as degree 6
A symbol such as C9 normally includes the dominant seventh: C-E-G-B flat-D. Cmaj9 uses B instead: C-E-G-B-D. Cm9 begins with a minor triad and minor seventh: C-E flat-G-B flat-D.
Players often omit some inner notes in an 11th or 13th chord, especially the fifth. The symbol describes the harmonic identity; the voicing decides which notes are practical in that register and ensemble.
What is the difference between C9 and Cadd9?
C9 contains a seventh because the extension number implies the stack below it. Its notes are C-E-G-B flat-D.
Cadd9 means add D to the C major triad without adding a seventh. Its notes are C-E-G-D.
The word add matters. It tells you that one color note is added directly to the triad while the intermediate seventh is absent.
The same distinction appears in Cm9 and Cm(add9). The first contains B flat; the second can be voiced as C-E flat-G-D with no seventh.
What do sharps and flats before numbers mean?
An alteration raises or lowers the named chord tone by one semitone.
C7 flat 9 contains D flat instead of D. C7 sharp 5 contains G sharp instead of G. Cmaj7 sharp 11 contains F sharp as its eleventh.
The accidental belongs to the number that follows it. It does not change the root unless it appears directly after the root letter.
Parentheses can improve readability: C7(flat 9, sharp 5). Charts may omit them and write C7flat9sharp5. Decode the chord in layers instead of trying to recognize the entire shape at once.
What does a slash chord mean?
The note after a slash is the bass note, the lowest sounding note.
C/E means play a C major chord with E in the bass. Because E already belongs to C major, this is the first inversion of the chord.
C/B flat means place B flat in the bass under a C major triad. That note is not part of the basic triad, so the result may function as a larger chord, a passing bass or a specific voice-leading sound.
The slash does not mean division, and it does not automatically create two chords. Polychords use a different convention and context.
How do you decode a longer symbol?
Take Cmaj9 sharp 11/E one part at a time:
1. C: the root
2. maj7 inside maj9: use B, the major seventh
3. 9: add D
4. sharp 11: add F sharp
5. /E: put E in the bass
The full pitch collection is C-E-G-B-D-F sharp, with E lowest. A pianist or guitarist may omit G or rearrange the upper notes, but the symbol's harmonic information remains.
What does a chord symbol leave unspecified?
A chord symbol usually does not prescribe the exact octave, spacing, doubling, rhythm, duration or order of the upper notes.
Cmaj7 can be played as a close block, a wide piano voicing, a guitar shape or an arpeggio. All can satisfy the same symbol.
Notation, style and ensemble context guide those choices. Voicings explains how the same chord changes when its notes are rearranged.
A reliable reading order
When a symbol looks dense, ask these questions:
1. What is the root?
2. Is the basic triad major, minor, diminished, augmented or suspended?
3. Which seventh is present?
4. Which extensions are added?
5. Are any chord tones raised or lowered?
6. Is another note required in the bass?
Write the resulting notes once. After enough examples, the common symbols become shapes you recognize without rebuilding them every time.