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Knowing how to read and write chord names is an easy yet invaluable skill. Chords are often
written in a kind of shorthand that makes them instantly recognizable (and gives you the free-
dom to play them with the voicing or inversion that you prefer). Once you understand the
basic principles of harmony and chords, it’s very simple to use this shorthand to write out the
chords of a song.
First, write the root note of the chord in an uppercase letter. If you need to specify sharp or flat,
indicate that to the right of the root. The chord type should be indicated to the right as well.
Examples for the key of C are shown below.
One important point: Chords are made up of notes “stacked” on top of each other, and the
stacked notes are indicated in the chord name of the chord type as a number — the number
being the distance of the note from the root. (See the keyboard diagram below.) For example,
the minor 6th chord includes the 6th note of the scale, the major 7th chord has the 7th note of
the scale, etc.
The Intervals of the Scale
To better understand the intervals and the numbers
used to represent them in the chord name, study
this diagram of the C major scale:
Other Chords
5th 4th
Csus4
Dominant
7th
Diminished
chord
Cm7b5
Minor
chord
6th
Cm6
9th
C(9)
Diminished
7th
(double
flatted 7th)
Diminished
chord
* Bbb = A
Cdim7
7th Major
chord
CM7
Dominant
7th
Minor
chord
Cm7
Dominant
7th
Major
chord
C7
CDEFGABCDE
F
Root
2nd
3rd
4th
5th 6th
7th
Octave
9th
11th
Dominant 7th
(flatted 7th)
WRITING CHORD NAMES
C
Major chord Minor chord Augmented chord Diminished chord
Cm Caug Cdim
For simple major chords, the type is omitted.
AUTO ACCOMPANIMENT — THE STYLE MODE
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