Understand the naming of chords (easily)

[David Walker]

Hi does anyone have a somewhat easy way to understand the naming of chords. I bet the basics but I see some just look at it and say only that a D9/11b5sus2/E. or something crazy like that. I really just want to quick understanding like when Brian say oh A6 or A9 or diminished or augmented. Maybe there is no easy answer.

Dave, Canada

David W.

[charjo]

Hi David,
This will get quickly buried under the challenge submissions.
I think the easiest way to understand chords is to classify them. Hope my nice format doesn’t get destroyed in submitting.
ie. Major – 1, 3, 5
Minor – 1, b3, 5
sus – 1, 2,5 or 1, 4,5
dim – 1, b3, b5
aug – 1, 3, #5
6 – major 1, 3, 5, 6 minor 1, b3, 5, 6
7 – major 1, 3, 5, 7 minor 1, b3, 5, 7 dominant 1, 3, 5 b7
full diminished 1, b3, b5, bb7 (symmetrical – non diatonic)
half diminished 1, b3, b5 , b7 (diatonic)
extended – adds diatonic notes above the octave ie. 9, 11, 13
altered – adds non-diatonic notes most often to dominant chords and involves the b5, #5, b9, #9, in order to
add tension
slash chords indicate the lowest note is other than the root, ie. an inversion

Plus you need to be aware of some common short forms, like A6 means A major 6, A7 means A dominant 7 and A9 means A dominant 9 etc, A half diminished (can’t type the symbol) is the Amin7b5 etc. If you can start to see the intervals on the fretboard you can create the chords from first principles.

John

[charjo]

The format got slightly squashed. I was trying to put the full and half diminished as a sub-category of 7 chords.
John

[FergalT]

That’s a great sum up of naming chords, thank you – one thing though would minor 7 chords not be 1, b3, 5, b7
you have 1, b3, 5, 7

[charjo]

Yes, you’re right. Thanks, Fergal.
John

[David Walker]

Thanks John I will print this out. Do you know this from memory. Impressive.
Dave

David W.

[charjo]

I’ve picked all this up over the last few years. I’m always interested in intervals. I can tell you all the intervals in each of the 7 modes of the major scale as well. Not so much the modes of the melodic minor scale, always something else to learn.
John

[Duffy P]

John has it right. Only thing I will add is that there are also “add” chords, and there are some chords that are explicitly named maj or min.

For example C9 is typically CEGBbD. Cadd9 leaves out the seventh – CEGD. Cmaj9 has the maj7 – CEGBD. Csus2 leaves out the 3rd – CDG. Similarly, there is a difference between a sus4 and an 11 chord. Csus4 is CFG. C11 is CEGBbDF.

When a dominant chord is named after its extension, its implied that every third is in the chord up to the extension, but many of those notes are optional. Thus a C13 Chord is CEGBbDF#A. On guitar you would typically play it as CBbEA, and leave out the 5th, 9th and #11.

First thing I would worry about is understanding the triads and their inversions. Their are only 4 (maj, min, dim, aug). Then move on to 7th chords.

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