Chord notation

Chord notation refers to the written notation for musical chords.

Complexities

There are a vast number of chords possible, although many are much more commonly found than others in compositions. Although it is possible to notate any chord using staff notation, showing not only the harmonic characteristics but also the exact voicing, staff notation is very difficult to read and requires years of training. It also provides too much information making improvisation for Jazz much more difficult. Other problems are that voicings for one instrument are not necessarily physically playable on another (for example, the
thirteenth chord, played on piano with up to seven notes, is usually played on guitar as a 4 or 5 note voicing that is impossible to play on piano with one hand).

As a result of these limitations, a shorthand describing the harmonic characteristics of chords is used.

Classification of Chords

In a musical composition, each chord serves a purpose. For any given function there are many possible voicings, and although voicings can and do have a significant effect on the subjective musical qualities of a composition, generally these interpretations retain the central characteristics of the chord. This provides an opportunity for improvisation within a defined structure and is important to improvised music such as jazz. Additionally, Chord substitution provides another way of modifying the harmonic structure of a piece of music to maintain interest.

For more information on chords themselves, see Chord (music). This article concerns systems of notation for chords, rather than the chords themselves.

Intervals

A chord consists of two or more notes played simultaneously that are certain intervals apart. The following table shows the labels given to these intervals and the respective notes for each of the twelve keys. Chord notation provides a shorthand for intervals, not actual notes. This table provides a mapping of intervals to actual notes to play.

Augmented Triads

These are the same as a major triad, but with an augmented fifth instead of a perfect fifth. The most common ways to notate this are as follows:

Example:

Note that the terms half-diminished 9th and diminished 9th, strictly speaking, refer only to the natural diatonic extensions of the corresponding seventh chords, which have only the minor ninth. Such chords with a major ninth are best referred to the corresponding minor chord with lowered fifth: Cm^9music|b5 / ..etc...

11ths

These are theoretically 9th chords with the 4th note in the scale added. However, it is common to leave certain notes out. As well as the 5th, the 9th (2nd) can be omitted. Often the major 3rd is omitted because of a strong dissonance with the 11th (4th). Omission of the 3rd reduces an 11th chord to the corresponding suspended 7th or 9th chord and it is properly no longer an 11th chord (Aiken 2004, p.104) (see Added Chords below). Similarly, omission of the 5th in a sharped 11th chord reduces its sound to a flat-five chord. (Aiken 2004, p.94).

C-()-G-Bmusic|b-(D)-F = C-F-G-Bmusic|b-(D)
C-E-()-Bmusic|b-(D)-Fmusic|# = C-E-Gmusic|b-Bmusic|b-(D)

The notation C/E indicates that you are playing a C major chord, but with an E in the Bass, likewise the notation C/G indicates that a C major chord is played with a G in the bass.

References

*wikicite|id=idAiken2004|reference=Aiken, Jim (2004). "Chords & Harmony". San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-798-6

ee also

*Chord chart
*Figured bass
*Lead sheet
*Macro analysis
*Roman numeral
*Tablature