jazz chord symbols chart b flat chord piano left hand

For example, the dominant chord in the key of D Major is A Major.

The dominant chord in a major or minor key refers to the chord built on the fifth scale degree. Minor chords may also be represented by an uppercase letter and a lowercase “m,” for example, Dm. The lowercase letters can get confusing when it comes to letters like c, a, and f, so adding the “m” is usually preferred by musicians. Minor chords are most commonly represented by lowercase letters, either accompanied by a lowercase “m” or by themselves, for example, d or dm. The following symbols can all indicate major chords: Minor Chords Without the “M”, as we will see in the section on dominant chords, the chord will be assumed as dominant instead of major. However, when it comes to seventh chords, you must place a capital “M” next to the letter, for example, AM7. For example, if you see the letter “A” on a lead sheet, you can assume it’s an A Major chord. Major chords are most commonly represented by an uppercase letter with no other symbols. If you need a refresher on what these terms mean, check out our Glossary of Musical Terms or our article How to Read Sheet Music: Step by Step Instructions.

Augmented, Diminished, and Half-Diminished.

Chord QualityĬhord quality refers to the component intervals that define the chord. In addition to the previously mentioned letters, you may see an “M” or two on your music, which leads us into our next section: chord quality. Next we have Gm, meaning that G is the tonic of that chord. Written out, C/B♭looks like this:Ĭontinuing past C/B♭, F/A follows the same rule: an F chord over an A. However, C/B♭ means that a C chord is sounding over (or on top of) a B♭ (the note only–not a chord). The first letter, C, is our primary chord, and therefore the tonic has switched from B♭ to C.

Now that we have two letters to look at, things can get a little confusing. Looking at the beginning of the piece, we see a B♭, which means that the tonic of that chord is a B♭. The letters you see represent the root or tonic (the first note of any major or minor scale) of the chord being built. Let’s look at the following song, “ Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.

These letters (with and without accidentals) represent all of the notes on the staff. Each of these letters may also be accompanied by a sharp (♯) or flat (♭). The uppercase letters you will see in chord symbols are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The first thing to understand in chord symbols is the letters.

Most sheet music contains notated melodies with chord symbols written above them, and we’re here to give you a rundown of what these symbols mean and how to use them. These symbols consist of letters, numbers, or symbols that indicate the root (or tonic) on which the chord should be built, as well the quality (major, minor, etc.) of the chord. Chord symbols in music can be confusing, simply because there are a lot of them.

Jazz chord symbols chart b flat chord piano left hand