Chord Symbols Piano
How to read piano chord symbols. What does all the letters, numbers and symbols mean in a piano chord symbol – and how does it all fit together?
Welcome to my crash-course on reading and understanding all the different types of piano chords. And by the way, the chord symbols are universal. This means that the same chord notation is used for all chord instruments. Both the guitar player and the organ player use this chord notation.
Read through this course and you will get an overall understanding of how piano chord notation works – and you will end up knowing how to read piano chord symbols in real life.
How to become a chord expert
This being said – after this crash-course you will not be an expert on chord symbols. Becoming an expert at anything takes time and effort. You will however get a fundamental knowledge of how the piano chord symbols are build. With this knowledge you will not only be able to read and understand any piano chord symbol – you can start practicing building your own piano chords – and you will be able to write the correct symbols for your chords.
Before we start the course, allow me to draw your attention to all the free information and downloads you can access here on PianoChordCharts.net:
– Piano Chord Chart. Black & White, Printer friendly, easy-to-use. FREE PDF DOWNLOAD!
– Chord Symbols Chart. Examples on how to build a chord and what the symbols mean. FREE PDF DOWNLOAD!
– Chord Inversion Course. Understand how to invert any chord. FREE PDF DOWNLOAD!
– Video Piano Lessons. Easy-to-follow, beginner friendly lessons directly in your inbox. FREE!
– And more…..
To get your hands on all this free stuff – simply sign up in the box here on the right. I will send it to you right away. No charge. Yours to keep forever.
Chord Symbols Piano – The Crash-course
Let’s get started. In the examples in this course we will use the note C as basis for all our chords.
LESSON 1 – Understanding 3-note chords (triads)
First of all – the definition of a chord is when 3 or more notes are played at the same time. It’s also called playing a harmony. With this definition we have the basis of our piano chord symbols. The simple and basic symbols that you probably already know: The 3-note chord (the triad)
C – This basic chord symbol tells us 3 things:
– The root note is C
– It’s a 3-note chord
– It’s a major chord
All this information you get from a single capital letter.
Please note that the white keys on the keyboard will have just capital letters (C, D, E, F…) – whereas the black keys on the keyboard will have a capital letter AND either the symbol # or b – indicating that the root note is either half a step up from a white key (C#) – or half a step down from a white key (Db). The black key positioned between the white keys C and D can actually be called two different names depending on what scale is used. This means that C# and Db is exactly the same black key with two different root note names – and that the chord C# and the chord Db are exactly the same!
All chords are build of intervals. All chords are build on a root note. The intervals most used are known as “thirds”. The interval “a third” can either be “a major third” or “a minor third”. This might be a bit difficult to understand – so let’s look at an example:
The 3-note chord C (major) consists of the notes C – E – G. The note C is the root note. On top of this root note we build “a major third”. A major third is always the same as 4 “semi-tones” (a semi-tone is exactly the same as 1 key on the keyboard – black or white). So if we count 4 keys up from C (C#, D, D#, E) we land on the note E. In doing so we have just put the interval “a major third” on top of our root note C.
So now we have the first two notes in our 3-note chord C (major).
To complete our C (major) chord we need to put “a minor third” on top of our last found note E.
“A minor third” is always the same as 3 “semi-tones”. This means that we have to count 3 keys up the keyboard to find our next chord note. Starting from the note E we count 3 keys (F, F#, G) – and we land on the note G. This means that G is the final note in our 3-note chord C (major).
So – the 3-note chord C (major) is build like this: Root note (C) + a major third up (E) + a minor third up (G)
Now, if you understand this you have just taken a giant leap forward in understanding any 3-note (major) chord. Because ALL 3-note (major) chords are build on this formula:
[Root note + a major third up + a minor third up]
To make ANY MAJOR 3-tone chord – simply choose your root note – and use this formula.
Okay? Moving on…
There are just 4 basic 3-note chords. The 3-note chord can either be major, minor, diminished or augmented. Let’s look into this.
We already know that a MAJOR 3-note chord is build like this: root note + a major third up + a minor third up.
To make the other 3-note chord types, minor, diminished and augmented, we simply have to change our formula a bit.
Here are the formulas for the 4 basic 3-note chords:
To make a MAJOR 3-note chord – the formula is this: [Root note + a major third up + a minor third up]
To make a MINOR 3-note chord – the formula is this: [Root note + a minor third up + a major third up]
To make a DIMINISHED 3-note chord – the formula is this: [Root note + a minor third up + a minor third up]
To make an AUGMENTED 3-note chord – the formula is this: [Root note + a major third up + a major third up]
Let’s look at these examples with the note C as root note:
The chord C (major) consists of: Root note (C) + major third up (E) + minor third up (G)
The chord Cm (minor) consists of: Root note (C) + minor third up (Eb) + major third up (G)
The chord C° or Cdim (diminished) consists of: Root note (C) + minor third up (Eb) + minor third up (Gb)
The chord Caug, C+, C(#5) (augmented) consists of: Root note (C) + major third up (E) + major third up (G#)
You now understand the basic chord symbols:
C means: a major 3-note chord
Cm means: a minor 3-note chord
C°, Cdim means: a diminished 3-note chord
Caug, C+, C(#5) means: an augmented 3-note chord
Okay??
Now finally, here in lesson 1, you need to understand just one more thing.
All chords also somehow derives from a scale. You can easily build or understand any chord you want without knowing every scale in the world. But to understand the chord names and symbols fully we have to have a quick look at scales.
To keep it short we will only look at one scale: The C major scale. The C major scale is easy to understand because it consists of all the white keys on the keyboard – and nothing else. The notes in the C major scale are these: C, D, E, F, G, A, B,
Now, let’s look at our C (major) chord again. We know it consists of the notes C, E and G. If you look at these notes as part of the C major scale (the white keys) we can also call these notes for: step 1 of the C major scale – step 3 of the C major scale – and step 5 of the C major scale.
| Note | C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Why is this important?
Because if you look at the chart above maybe you can figure out why a chord can be called something like C7 or Cmaj7 or C6?
You get it? The reason we use the number 7 and 6 in a chord symbol is because we add a new note on top of our 3-note chord – namely step 7 or step 6 of a given scale.
Adding a new note to our original 3-note chord brings us to the next lesson – 4-note chords (tetrads)
LESSON 2 – Understanding 4-note chords (tetrads)
Most chords you will ever encounter are build on one of the 4 types of 3-note chords you have just learned about: major, minor, diminished or augmented. A 4-note chord is simply a matter of adding another interval on top of our basic 3-note chord – thereby making it a 4-note chord.
The 3 most commonly used 4-note chords ends with the symbols: 7 – or – maj7 – or – 6
For example: C7, Cm7, Cdim7, C6, Cmaj7
(To learn all the alternative symbols for the same type of chord: sign up in the box here on the page – and download the Chord Symbols Chart)
Let’s dive in.
To make a 4-note chord you start with your original C (major) 3-note chord.
As you remember your original chord is build like this: Root note (C) + major third up (E) + minor third up (G).
Now look at your ROOT NOTE (C) – and put the appropriate note/step on top of your 3-note chord – using these formulas:
Cmaj7
(The interval a major 7th.) Always exactly 11 semi-tones from the root note. Let’s count from the root note C (C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B). The maj7th. to the root note C is: B
| Note | C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
The 4-note chord Cmaj7 consists of the notes: C – E – G – B (step 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 of the C major scale)
C7
(The interval a minor 7th.) Always exactly 10 semi-tones from the root note. Let’s count from the root note C (C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#). The (minor)7th. to the root note C is: A# – or to put it more correctly: Bb – because it describes a minor interval. (Remember A# and Bb is exactly the same note)
| Note | C | D | E | F | G | A | Bb |
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | (b)7 |
The 4-note chord C7 consists of the notes: C – E – G – Bb (step 1 – 3 – 5 – b7 of a C scale)
C6
(The interval a 6th.) Always exactly 9 semi-tones from the root note. Let’s count from the root note C (C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A). The 6th. to the root note C is: A
| Note | C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
The 4-note chord C6 consists of the notes: C – E – G – A (step 1 – 3 – 5 – 6 of the C major scale)
LESSON 3 – Beyond 4-note chords
Now, what about chords like C9, Cm11, C13, Cmaj9???
Well, actually it’s not that difficult to understand. We just have to expand our chart of a given scale. Again, let’s look at the C major scale:
C major scale
| Note | C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | A |
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
To make these larger chords you have to expand your view beyond just one octave (from one C to the next C). As you can see in the chart, when you get to the octave C you don’t just start over and call it step 1. Instead you call it step 8 (the octave). And after step 8 comes step 9 – and so on.
The highest number – or step – you will find in any chord is the step 13.
IMPORTANT: When you move beyond a 4-note chord you no longer write 7 or maj7 in the chord symbol. BUT – the 7th. step is there. It is implied in the chord symbol. You as a musician have to know this!
Let me give you an example:
The chord Cmaj9 consists of the notes: C – E – G – B – D – or the steps 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 9 in our C major scale.
C major scale
| Note | C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | A |
| Note | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
The number 7 is left out of the chord symbol – you have to know the 7th. is there. As you remember, there are only two possibilities of making the 7th. step: either the interval is a major7th. – or the interval is a minor 7th. So how will you know the difference?
If the symbol has the word “maj” – this means that the 7th. is a major 7th. Examples: Cmaj9, Cmaj11, Cmaj13
If the symbol does NOT have the word “maj” – this means that the 7th. is a minor 7th. Examples: C9, C11, C13, Cm9, Cm11
To finish up this lesson, let’s just have a very quick look at the concept of alterations. Alterations basically means that you tweak a chord. When you alter a chord you have to put this alteration in brackets after your basic chord. We will do just one example:
C7(b9) – This symbol means that you play your original C7 chord – and you add the 9th. step on top – but this 9th. step has to be lowered half a step (one semi-tone). Let’s look at the chart:
| Note | C | D | E | F | G | A | Bb | C | Db | E | F | G | A |
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | b7 | 8 | b9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
You already know that your basic 4-note chord C7 consists of C – E – G – Bb – or the steps 1 – 3 – 5 – b7
Now all you have to do is to add the 9th step on top of the chord – AND YOU HAVE TO LOWER THIS STEP BY A SEMI-TONE (b9)
This means – if you look at the chart – that your 9th. step is the note D – but because the chord needs the (b9) – instead you play the note Db.
This means that you chord C7(b9) consists of: C – E – G – Bb – Db – or the steps: 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 – b9 of the C scale.
The end is coming…….
Now, I promised you that this would be a Crash-course – meaning that you would learn just the basic concepts of how chord symbols are constructed. This means that I have to stop now – because things will slowly get more and more complicated.
As your teacher today – I think it’s more important that you try to fully understand how 3- and 4-note chords are build – and that you know just a little about how to get beyond 4-note chords.
Understanding the basic 3- and 4-note chords will get you a long way playing styles like rock, pop, folk, R&B, country and more. The larger chord constructions which we’ve just had a brief look at – are mostly used for more complex music – like jazz. I propose that you focus on getting really good at understanding the basic chords at first – then when you master those – you can move on to the more complex chords. Okay??
Become a full blown piano player…….
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