Musicians use
various kinds of
chord names and symbols in different contexts, to represent
musical chords. In most
genres of
popular music, including
jazz,
pop, and
rock, a chord name and the corresponding symbol are typically composed of one or more of the following parts:
- The root note (e.g., C).
- The chord quality (e.g., major, maj, or M).
- The number of an interval (e.g., seventh, or 7), or less often its full name or symbol (e.g., major seventh, maj7, or M7).
- The altered fifth (e.g., sharp five, or 5).
- An additional interval number (e.g., add 13 or add13), in added tone chords.
For instance, the name
C augmented seventh, and the corresponding symbol C
aug7, or C
+7, are both composed of parts 1, 2, and 3.