How to Read Chord Symbols: m, 7, maj7, sus, add9 and Slash Chords
Share
You open a chord chart, a tutorial or a MIDI pack and see things like Am7, Cmaj7, Gsus4, Fadd9 or C/E. If you never had music theory, that looks like a secret code. The good news: it's a simple system with a few fixed rules. Once you get those, you can read any chord symbol and put it in your piano roll yourself.
In this guide you'll learn step by step how to read chord symbols, what every little sign means and which traps almost everyone falls into at some point. You don't need to read sheet music.
The short answer
A chord symbol has up to four parts, always in the same order:
- The capital letter is the root. The chord is named after it.
- A small m (or nothing) tells you if the chord is minor or major.
- Numbers and words like 7, maj7, sus4 or add9 tell you which notes are added or changed.
- A slash with a second letter tells you which note is in the bass.
So Am7/G reads as: root A, minor, with a seventh on top, and a G in the bass.
First: counting in half steps
Everything in this guide is counted in half steps (semitones). On a keyboard or in your piano roll, every key, white or black, is one half step. From C to C♯ is one half step, from C to D is two. That way you can build any chord without reading notes: start on the root and count up.
One quick note on spelling: C♯ and D♭ are the same key, just two names for it. Chord charts pick the name that fits the key of the song, so don't panic if you see both. You'll also see ♯ and ♭ written as plain # and b.
Step 1: the letter is the root
The capital letter, maybe with a ♯ or ♭, is the note the chord is built on. F♯m has F♯ as its root, B♭ has B♭ as its root. If there's only a letter, like C or G, it's a plain three-note major chord.
Step 2: m or no m (major or minor)
The difference between major and minor is one note: the third, the middle note of a triad.
- C (major): 0, 4, 7 half steps. That's C, E, G. Sounds bright and stable.
- Cm (minor): 0, 3, 7 half steps. That's C, E♭, G. Sounds darker.
You'll see minor written in different ways: Cm, Cmin, C- or sometimes Cmi. They all mean the same thing. Want to hear what that one note does? Read major vs minor explained.
Step 3: numbers and extras
This is where most of the confusion lives. Numbers stand for the step in the scale, counted from the root. For C that's: C (1), D (2), E (3), F (4), G (5), A (6), B (7). Above that you keep counting: the D an octave higher is the 9, the F is the 11 and the A is the 13.
The 7: watch the difference between 7 and maj7
This is the trap almost everyone falls into once:
- C7 = C, E, G, B♭. A minor seventh (10 half steps). Sounds bluesy and wants to move somewhere.
- Cmaj7 = C, E, G, B. A major seventh (11 half steps). Sounds dreamy and soft.
- Cm7 = C, E♭, G, B♭. Minor with a minor seventh. Warm and relaxed.
The rule: a plain 7 is always the minor seventh. Only the word maj (or M, or the triangle Δ) turns it into a major seventh. Note that maj only talks about the seventh, not the third. That's why Cm(maj7) exists: C, E♭, G, B. A minor chord with a major seventh, which sounds tense and a bit cinematic. Everything about this family is in seventh chords explained.
sus: the third goes out
In sus2 and sus4 the third is replaced by another note. That makes the chord neither major nor minor.
- Csus2 = C, D, G. Open and airy.
- Csus4 = C, F, G. Tense, wants to go back to C.
If it just says Csus, it usually means sus4. More examples in sus chords explained.
add: something is only added
add means exactly that. The third stays and one note is added, without a seventh.
- Cadd9 = C, E, G, D. Major with extra color.
- Cm(add9) = C, E♭, G, D. Minor with a soft, open note on top. Great for emotional rap and R&B.
The difference with C9: in C9 the minor seventh is also there (C, E, G, B♭, D). So a 9, 11 or 13 without add in front almost always means the 7 is included too. Cmaj9 is C, E, G, B, D and Cm9 is C, E♭, G, B♭, D.
The 6: not a seventh, a sixth
- C6 = C, E, G, A. Sunny and a bit retro.
- Cm6 = C, E♭, G, A. Sounds mysterious and a little jazzy.
dim, ° and ø: diminished
- Cdim or C° = C, E♭, G♭. Sounds tense.
- Cdim7 or C°7 = C, E♭, G♭, B♭♭ (in practice you play an A). Even more tension.
- Cm7♭5 or Cø = C, E♭, G♭, B♭. Half-diminished, softer than dim7.
So the difference between the circle (°) and the circle with a slash (ø) is one note. More in diminished chords explained.
aug and +: augmented
Caug or C+ = C, E, G♯. The fifth goes up a half step. Sounds dreamy and unresolved.
The 5: power chord
C5 = just C and G, no third. Not major, not minor. This is the classic power chord from rock and metal. It also works well for heavy synths and distorted guitars.
♭ and ♯ in front of a number
A ♭ or ♯ in front of a number lowers or raises that one note by a half step. C7♭9 is C7 with a flat 9: C, E, G, B♭, D♭. C7♯5 is C7 with a raised fifth. When you see extensions like these, you're usually in jazz or gospel territory. For most beats you can leave them out at first and just play the chord as C7.
Step 4: the slash (slash chords)
Everything before the slash is the chord, the letter after it is the bass note.
- C/E = a C chord (C, E, G) with E as the lowest note. That's an inversion of C.
- Am/G = an Am chord with G in the bass. That G isn't in Am, so the chord gets a new color.
- F/G = an F chord over a G in the bass. Often used in gospel and R&B as a soft stand-in for G7.
For producers this is really handy: the letter after the slash is exactly the note your 808 or bass should play. How to make chords with a different note on the bottom flow better is covered in chord inversions explained.
Cheat sheet: every symbol on C
Everything in one place with C as the root. For a different root, move every note up or down by the same number of half steps.
| Symbol | Also written as | Half steps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | CM, Cmaj | 0, 4, 7 | C, E, G |
| Cm | Cmin, C- | 0, 3, 7 | C, E♭, G |
| C5 | power chord | 0, 7 | C, G |
| Csus2 | 0, 2, 7 | C, D, G | |
| Csus4 | Csus | 0, 5, 7 | C, F, G |
| C6 | 0, 4, 7, 9 | C, E, G, A | |
| Cm6 | Cmin6 | 0, 3, 7, 9 | C, E♭, G, A |
| C7 | Cdom7 | 0, 4, 7, 10 | C, E, G, B♭ |
| Cmaj7 | CM7, CΔ7 | 0, 4, 7, 11 | C, E, G, B |
| Cm7 | Cmin7, C-7 | 0, 3, 7, 10 | C, E♭, G, B♭ |
| Cm(maj7) | CmM7 | 0, 3, 7, 11 | C, E♭, G, B |
| Cadd9 | Cadd2 | 0, 4, 7, 14 | C, E, G, D |
| Cm(add9) | Cmadd9 | 0, 3, 7, 14 | C, E♭, G, D |
| C9 | 0, 4, 7, 10, 14 | C, E, G, B♭, D | |
| Cmaj9 | CΔ9 | 0, 4, 7, 11, 14 | C, E, G, B, D |
| Cm9 | Cmin9 | 0, 3, 7, 10, 14 | C, E♭, G, B♭, D |
| Cdim | C° | 0, 3, 6 | C, E♭, G♭ |
| Cdim7 | C°7 | 0, 3, 6, 9 | C, E♭, G♭, A |
| Cm7♭5 | Cø, Cø7 | 0, 3, 6, 10 | C, E♭, G♭, B♭ |
| Caug | C+ | 0, 4, 8 | C, E, G♯ |
For Cadd9 the table says 14 instead of 2: the D sits an octave higher than in sus2. In practice you can also put it close to the root. It stays an add9 as long as the third is in there.
How to put any chord symbol in your piano roll
Works in FL Studio, Logic Pro, Ableton, GarageBand and any other DAW.
- Place the root. Pick an octave in the middle of your keyboard, not too low.
- Check for the m. No m: count up 4 half steps for the third. With an m: count 3. If it says sus, 5 or another exception, check the table.
- Add the fifth. 7 half steps above the root. Only dim, ø and aug are different.
- Add the extra notes. 7 is 10 half steps, maj7 is 11, 6 is 9, add9 is 14.
- Look for a slash. Put that note at the bottom, or let your 808 or bass line play it.
- Listen and thin it out. Sounds busy or muddy? Drop the fifth. It adds little to bigger chords.
Roman numerals: chords without a fixed key
Besides letters you'll also see Roman numerals, like i, VI, III, VII. They don't tell you the root note, they tell you which step of the key the chord sits on. Capitals are major, lowercase is minor. In A minor, i is Am and VI is F. The upside: a progression in Roman numerals works in any key.
The free chord progression generator shows those numerals under every chord, so you'll pick up which chords belong to your key as you go. All chords per key are listed in chords in every key, for example chords in C major.
Three examples to practice
Read them yourself first, then check the answer.
1. Am7 | Fmaj7 | C | G/B
Am7 = A, C, E, G. Fmaj7 = F, A, C, E. C = C, E, G. G/B = G, B, D with the B in the bass. That B makes your bass line flow back at the end: from C down a half step to B, and on the repeat further down to A.
2. Cm(add9) | A♭maj7 | E♭ | B♭sus4
Cm(add9) = C, E♭, G, D. A♭maj7 = A♭, C, E♭, G. E♭ = E♭, G, B♭. B♭sus4 = B♭, E♭, F. An emotional loop in C minor of the kind you hear a lot in melodic rap.
3. Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7
Dm7 = D, F, A, C. G7 = G, B, D, F. Cmaj7 = C, E, G, B. This is the well-known ii, V, I from jazz, soul and R&B.
Get started faster
Don't feel like counting out every note? Grab the free chord progression generator. Pick a mood, key and tempo, listen in your browser and download the MIDI with chords and a bass line on the root notes. Drop it in your DAW, then turn one chord into a maj7, sus4 or add9 using the table above. Working on an existing sample or beat? Find the key first with Beat Lab.
Are you a rapper or singer who'd rather start writing than puzzle over chords? Check out the beats by NameOnTheBeat.
FAQ
What does the m in a chord mean?
The small m stands for minor. Cm is C, E♭, G. A capital M or the word maj means major, and in seventh chords it refers to the major seventh.
What's the difference between C7 and Cmaj7?
C7 has a minor seventh (B♭) and sounds bluesy. Cmaj7 has a major seventh (B) and sounds dreamy. A plain 7 is always the minor one.
What's the difference between add9 and 9?
With add9 only the 9 is added. A 9 chord also includes the seventh. Cadd9 is C, E, G, D. C9 is C, E, G, B♭, D.
What does the slash in a chord mean?
The letter after the slash is the bass note. C/E is a C chord with E as the lowest note. Let your bass or 808 play that note.
What do ° and ø mean?
° means diminished (dim), ø means half-diminished (m7♭5). C° is C, E♭, G♭. Cø is C, E♭, G♭, B♭.
Do I have to play every note of a big chord?
No. In bigger chords you often leave out the fifth, and sometimes even the root if your bass already plays it. What's left still gives you the color of the chord.
Looking for more free help, like a BPM finder, master checker and rhyme finder? Check out all our free music tools.