Tutorial · 5 of 5 · Theory
How to read chord charts
Chord symbols are a shorthand for writing chords with letters and signs. With a handful of rules you can read practically any chord chart from a magazine, website or songbook.
The letters are the notes
Chord symbols use the first seven letters of the alphabet, which are the note names. In countries that use solfège, they match these syllables:
| Letter | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solfège | La | Si | Do | Re | Mi | Fa | Sol |
A letter on its own means a major chord: C is C major, G is G major. The sharp (♯ or #) raises a note by a half step and the flat (♭ or b) lowers it by a half step: F♯ is F sharp major, B♭ is B flat major.
The symbols after the letter
| Symbol | Name | Notes (example in C) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | C major | C, E, G | Stable, bright |
| Cm | C minor | C, E♭, G | Sad, introspective |
| C7 | C seventh (dominant) | C, E, G, B♭ | Tension that wants to resolve; the basis of the blues |
| Cmaj7 or C7M | C major seventh | C, E, G, B | Smooth, typical of bossa nova |
| Cm7 | C minor seventh | C, E♭, G, B♭ | Soft minor, common in soul and jazz |
| C° or Cdim | C diminished | C, E♭, G♭ | Tense, a passing chord |
| Cm7(♭5) or Cø | C half-diminished | C, E♭, G♭, B♭ | Tense and dark; the ii of a minor key |
| C+ or Caug | C augmented | C, E, G♯ | Suspense, a dreamy sound |
| Csus4 | C suspended fourth | C, F, G | No third; it hangs "in the air" |
| Csus2 | C suspended second | C, D, G | Open, modern |
| C6 | C sixth | C, E, G, A | Sweet, common in samba and early jazz |
| C9 or Cadd9 | C ninth | C, E, G, D | Bright, with extra color |
The slash: chords with a different bass
When there is a slash, the letter after it is the bass note. C/E is a C major with E in the bass; G/B is a G major with B in the bass. These chords are used to create bass lines that move stepwise, such as C – G/B – Am.
Reading a song chart
In lyrics with chords, each chord appears above the syllable where it starts. Change chord exactly on that syllable and hold it until the next one. When the chart is written in bars, each vertical line separates one bar:
| C Am | F G | C G/B | Am F |
Here there are two chords per bar. If a bar has only one chord, it lasts the whole bar.
Tips to avoid getting lost
- Read the letter first, then the "m". The rest (7, 9, sus) is seasoning: if you can't play it yet, play just the basic chord and the song stays recognizable.
- C♯ and D♭ are the same key on the keyboard. Which name is used depends on the key of the song.
- If a chord looks hard, use the chord builder to hear it and see its shape on the keyboard and the guitar.