Reading Chord Symbols

Created by William Johnston, Modified on Sun, 31 May at 11:57 PM by William Johnston

Reading guitar chord symbols is like deciphering a musical shorthand. The main letter (e.g., C, G, A) dictates the root note of the chord, while the symbols and numbers immediately following it describe the chord's specific quality. An uppercase letter alone represents a standard major chord, while a lowercase "m" (like Cm) indicates a minor chord. Numbers like 7 or maj7 tell you to add specific extended notes to that root foundation.

Modifiers like aug and dim alter the basic structure of the chord by changing its intervals. The symbol aug stands for augmented, meaning you raise the fifth note of the scale by a half-step (e.g., Caug). Conversely, dim stands for diminished, which means you lower both the third and the fifth notes by a half-step to create a tense, unstable sound (e.g., Cdim).

The modifier sus stands for suspended and indicates that you temporarily replace the third note of the chord. This is usually done with a perfect fourth (sus4) or a major second (sus2), which removes the major or minor quality of the chord. This replacement creates an open, unresolved tension that typically wants to resolve back to the standard major or minor shape (e.g., Csus4 resolving to C).

Slash chords feature a diagonal line separating two letters, such as C/G or D/F#. The first letter tells you the chord to play with your right hand or higher strings, while the letter after the slash dictates the specific note that must be played as the lowest bass note. This technique allows guitarists to create smooth, walking bass lines between chord transitions without changing the entire harmonic structure.