Guide to chord symbols

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction................................................................................................................................................................. 2
WHAT ARE CHORD SYMBOLS? .............................................................................................................................. 2
THE INTERVALS .................................................................................................................................................... 2
PART I: SEVENTH CHORDS ........................................................................................................................................... 3
WHAT ARE SEVENTH CHORDS? ............................................................................................................................. 3
HOW ARE SEVENTH CHORDS NOTATED? .............................................................................................................. 3
PART II: CHORD EXTENSIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 6
WHAT ARE CHORD EXTENSIONS? ......................................................................................................................... 6
THE STACKING THIRDS APPROACH ....................................................................................................................... 6
THE NATURAL EXTENSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 6
SYMBOLIZING NATURAL EXTENSIONS ................................................................................................................... 7
THE ALTERED EXTENSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 7
PART III: OTHER TYPES OF CHORDS .............................................................................................................................. 8
THE 6th CHORDS ................................................................................................................................................... 8
THE MINOR MAJOR 7th CHORDS ............................................................................................................................ 9
PART IV: AVAILABLE TENSIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 9

[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 1
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

INTRODUCTION

WHAT ARE CHORD SYMBOLS?

In Jazz music, carefully written out sheet music including dynamics and details is seldom used, if ever. Instead, we make
use of lead sheets. A lead sheet is a minimal version of sheet music, usually containing only one staff with the melody of a
tune. Above the staff, you will find chord symbols. These symbols indicate to the performing musician which chord to play,
and when. They are extremely important for both performing music and understanding harmony. This guide fully explains
how to find a chord based on its symbol and vice versa. You will also find theory and rules on building chords.

THE INTERVALS
An interval is the distance between two notes. They are necessary in understanding chords, so we should refresh our
memory of the most common ones before diving into the theory of chord naming:

1. The second intervals

a. The minor second (symbolized m2) is the distance of one (1) semitone. For example, the notes G and Ab
are a minor second apart
b. The major second (symbolized M2) is the distance of two (2) semitones. The notes C and D are a major
second apart

2. The third intervals

a. The minor third (symbolized m3) is the distance of three (3) semitones. The notes D and F are a minor third
apart
b. The major third (symbolized M3) is the distance of four (4) semitones. The notes G and B are a major third
apart

3. The fourth intervals

a. The perfect fourth (symbolized P4) is the distance of five (5) semitones. The notes C and F are a perfect
fourth apart
b. The augmented fourth (symbolized A4) is the distance of six (6) semitones. The notes E and Bb are an
augmented fourth apart. This interval is enharmonically equivalent 1 to the tritone (symbolized TT), the
most dissonant interval. The tritone splits the octave exactly in half, and its of paramount importance in
jazz theory

4. The fifth intervals

a. The diminished fifth (symbolized d5), another enharmonic equivalent of the tritone and the perfect fourth
b. The perfect fifth (symbolized P5), is the distance of seven (7) semitones. The notes Bb and F are a perfect
fifth apart

5. The sixth intervals

a. The minor sixth (symbolized m6) is the distance of eight (8) semitones. The notes E and C are a minor sixth
apart
b. The major sixth (symbolized M6) is the distance of nine (9) semitones. The notes C and A are a major sixth
apart
6. The seventh intervals

1
Enharmonic equivalence refers to two same sounding notes or harmonies that are “spelled” and named differently
[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 2
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

a. The minor seventh (symbolized m7) is the distance of ten (10) semitones. The notes Eb and Db are a minor
seventh apart
b. The major seventh (symbolized M7) is the distance of eleven (11) semitones. The notes G and F# are a major
seventh apart

The interval of two notes is named melodic when the two notes sound in succession, and harmonic when they sound at the
same time. Augmenting an interval means increasing it by a semitone, and diminishing it means decreasing it by one.
Therefore, a diminished seventh interval would be enharmonically equivalent to a major sixth, which is the distance of 9
semitones.

BEWARE!
In intervals, the order and direction of notes maters. An ascending interval means we count the distance between two notes
from the lowest to the highest one, and a descending from highest to lowest. Usually, descending intervals are not used in
music theory, so from now own we assume all intervals are ascending unless it is mentioned otherwise. This means that
when we refer to two notes like all the previous examples, the first note is the lowest and the second the highest. Therefore,
a C-Bb is a minor seventh, but a Bb-C is a major second.

PART I: SEVENTH CHORDS

WHAT ARE SEVENTH CHORDS?

Seventh chords are the fundamental blocks of jazz harmony. They replace by default the role of basic triads we know of
from classical music theory and harmony. A seventh chord gets its name from the fact that it has an added seventh interval
(measured from the root note), besides the third and fifth of the triad. Therefore, it is a four-part chord, meaning it is
comprised of four distinct notes.

HOW ARE SEVENTH CHORDS N OTATED?

Seventh chord notation is based on the mixolydian scale:

[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 3
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

The scale above is the C mixolydian scale. It is like the major scale, except for the seventh scale degree, which is flattened.
Above the staff, you will see the corresponding sale degrees in relation to the major scale 2 in blue color. Below are the
intervals of each note measured from the first note of the scale, C

A chord symbol starts with the letter of the root note in capital. In our case C. After that follows a symbol and the number to
signify the quality of the chord, and to inform us it is a seventh chord. Finally, any added notes or alterations to the chord
tones3 are included in the end, usually in parentheses.

The C7 chord means we will play a C major triad with the minor seventh, which is Bb, since the parent-scale4 of the chord
is the Mixolydian which has a minor seventh interval.

The Cm7 chord symbol asks us to play a C minor triad with the minor seventh. The “minor” symbols refers to lowering the
third from major to minor, since the seventh is already minor in the Mixolydian scale.

2
It is very common for educational material to compare scale degrees to the major scale. Therefore, a natural minor scale would be
numbered 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-8
3
Chord tones are the notes that build our basic chord, that is the root third fifth and seventh
4
In western music theory, scales are the fundamental beginning where chords are derived from. Each chord has a scale called a parent
scale, which determines the types of intervals that take part in forming it
[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 4
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

The “major” symbol in a Cmaj7 chord refers to sharpening the seventh from minor to major, since the third is major by
default in the Mixolydian scale.

A half-diminished chord is a diminished triad with the minor seven. An alternative symbolism of a minor 7 chord is used,
adding the alteration of a flattened fifth inside parentheses at the end as we discussed, to achieve the same chord.

Finally, a diminished seventh chord is a diminished triad with a diminished (double-flatted) seventh. From now on, the term
“diminished” refers to the diminished seventh chord, and not its triad counterpart.

[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 5
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

PART II: CHORD EXTENSIONS

WHAT ARE CHORD EXTENSIONS?

Chord extensions are notes we can add in our chords to enrich their sound, without affecting their harmonic function or the
psycho-acoustic emotion associated with their quality. What this means is we are not allowed to add notes that will alter
the harmonic function of a chord (i.e. change it from a dominant-functioning to a tonic-functioning chord), or the feeling
associated with it (i.e. change a “bright” major chord to a “suspenseful” dominant chord).

THE STACKING THIRDS APPROACH

So far, the way to look at chords was as a root note, with a third, fifth and seventh on top. Instead of this classical and
axiomatic approach, musicians devised the stacking-thirds theory, which describes those key intervals of a chord as
stacked thirds on top of each other. This way, a Gm7 chord becomes a minor third (G-Bb), followed by a major third (Bb-D),
followed by another minor third (D-F). This revelation may not seem profound or groundbreaking, but it is what gave rise to
exploring the multi-layered harmonies that make jazz music so beautiful and complex. Therefore, adding extensions will
follow this same expanding logic.

THE NATURAL EXTENSIONS

The natural extensions are derived from the same Mixolydian scale that our naming rules for seventh chords came from.
Going up in diatonic5 thirds, we end up with the 9th, 11th and 13th as our extensions. However, given that the major and
mixolydian scales differ only in their seventh degree, which does not affect the aforementioned extensions, it is easier to
count up the major scale when wanting to calculate extensions. Therefore, if we want to find the natural extensions of a
Dm7 chord, we can simply count up the D major scale up to the 9th, 11th and 13th. The 2nd, 4th and 6th scale degrees are
equivalent; however, they are not preferred in notation. In the case of a D chord, our extensions are the notes E, G and B. In
terms of intervals, the 9th is a major ninth interval (octave + M2), the 11th is a perfect eleventh interval (octave + P4), and the
13th is a major thirteenth interval (octave + M6). Preferring this naming over the simple second fourth and sixth intervals of
the scale may seem obscure and hard to digest at first. However, we must keep in mind that that the stacking thirds
approach renders this necessary

5
Something is called diatonic when it is using only ones from a specific key/scale
[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 6
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

SYMBOLIZING NATURAL EXTENSIONS

Symbolizing chords with natural extensions is easy. The minor and major symbols work the same way they did with seventh
chords. A minor symbol next to the letter instructs us to play a minor third and a minor seventh. A major symbol means
playing both a major third and a major seventh. Finally, no symbol signifies a dominant chord: a chord with a major third
and a minor seventh. Following that comes the number of the highest order of extension appearing in the chord. Remember,
we are using the stacking thirds approach, meaning that theoretically we must include all extensions up to the point we
want. Therefore, besides the chord tones, an Am13 chord includes the 9th and 11th extensions as well, as seen in the first
example. The only exemption to that rule are major chords, where the 11th is forbidden, because it alters the function and
feel of the chord. That’s why in the second example, the Gmaj13 chord does not include C. Things are different in practice
of course, since playing such a tall tower of thirds will sound terribly unpleasant. Jazz is a free genre, where the interpreter
can choose to skip any notes they want and use voicings6 they deem fit. It is perfectly fine to name a chord Am13, even if it
doesn’t include any of the other extensions, or even the seventh! Chord symbols in jazz are often viewed as suggestions
rather than strict rules. In some tunes chord extensions don’t even show up because composers leave it up to the musicians
to color the sound any way they prefer. For the stricter side of the spectrum, the “add” symbol instructs the player to only
play the notated extensions. The Em(add9) chord is an E minor triad with the 9th, F, as seen in the last example.

THE ALTERED EXTENSIONS

Altered extensions are natural extensions that have been either augmented or diminished. They are also referred to simply
as “tensions” or “alterations”. More specifically, these are the b9th and #9th, the #11th and the b13th. The b11th has no
meaning since it is equivalent to the major third in a chord, and the #13th coincides with the minor seventh. The altered
extensions are notated last, usually in parentheses. We prioritize the number of the natural extensions first, if the chord has
any, and not the order they appear in. Hence a Cmaj7 chord that has the notes A and F# in it would be named Cmaj13(#11),
not Cmaj#11(13). The #11th is an allowed extension in major chords, contrary to the prohibited 11th we mentioned earlier.

If we don’t want to include the natural fifth in our chord voicing, we can substitute the symbols of #11 and b13 for the b5
and #5 respectively, since they are enharmonically equivalent. This however has implications for what extra notes a
musician can add to their sound. Below are some applicable chord voicings as they would be played by a professional
pianist:

6
A chord voicing is the order in which notes are played, in order to facilitate voice leading and create a more pleasant sound than the
full chords in root position
[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 7
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

PART III: OTHER TYPES OF CHORDS

THE 6 T H CHORDS
When it came to the tonic in a major key, bebop musicians wouldn’t use the major seventh chord the way we are taught
today. They considered the seventh interval to dissonant to provide a satisfactory sense of resolution after a cadence, and
they replaced it with the major sixth interval that was more “grounded” and stable. The major seventh chords were still
used, but in the context of a sub-dominant (IV) function. The replacing of the seventh with the sixth was used in minor and
major keys alike, with the latter also including a 9th, as was tradition from the Swing era.

[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 8
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project
Guide to chord symbols

THE MINOR MAJOR 7 T H CHORDS

Another common substitution for the minor seventh chord as the tonic, would be the minor major seventh chord, which is
a minor triad with the major seventh. Oftentimes the 9th was added as well, creating what’s famously known in pop music
as the “James Bond chord”. In this case the reasoning for this substitution was the exact opposite from before: the major
seventh in tunes created an unstable sound that created much needed momentum after a cadence, in order to move to a
B section or a pickup of the A theme again.

PART IV: AVAILABLE TENSIONS

Available tensions are the tensions we can add in a chord without voiding its essential properties, as we mentioned a few
pages back. Below you will find a table with all twelve pitches of the western chromatic scale, and their relationship to
each type of chord family (C chords are used as an example). Those of them colored blue are the chord tones, green for
the available tensions, and red for the unavailable. Notice that the same pitch can serve a different function depending on
the type of chord (i.e. in a C7 chord, D#/Eb is the # 9th, but for a Cm7 it functions as the minor third).

These rules help create a rich sound that is consistent with traditional jazz music and the common practices of the era. Of
course, artistic expression knows no limits, so you must not view this guide as anything more than an analysis on how to
play this specific genre of music. After all many, if not all of these rules, were later broken, often by the same jazz pioneers
that developed them some decades ago.

[ΌΝΟΜΑ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΗ] 9
Copyright 2024 © OpenJazz Project