Chords can get extremely complicated. Some chords have the basic three notes or even only two while some can have more than seven. When using sheet music, such as in the image above, you don't need to describe these chords. When writing for pop music or when analyzing music however, you need to be able to describe a chord with just a few words or symbols. I can't speak or sing multiple notes, but I can say "that's a C major7" which lets people know the notes are C, E, G, and B in any order. While this can get quite complicated, I'm going to describe an introduction to some of the more popular chord notation methods beginning with pop chord notation. I will explain Roman Numeral notation and the Nashville Numbering System in the coming days.
Pop chord notation
In pop chord notation you write the chord like you would speak it. This is the most widely used method in present day. If I wanted to write a C chord with a 7th above it I would literally write C7. If I want a D diminished with an added E on top I would write Ddim(add9). The gist of it is that you just write out the chord as simply as possible. So here's what all of the letters and abbreviations mean.
If a letter stands by itself like "C" then its a major chord. If you add an "m" then it become minor. Cm is C minor. After that you can stick any number after it and you add a note that many notes away. So Cm9 adds a 9th (D is a 9th from C), Cm7 adds a 7th (Bb in this case), and C6 adds a 6th (A is a 6th from C). If the chord has a sharp or flat note added you write that in using parentheses such as C(b2) which adds a Db or C(#2) which a D#. One commonly used addition to this is if you write "maj7" at the end of a chord. This means to add a Major 7th to the chord. So C7 is a C chord with a Bb added but Cmaj7 is a C chord with a B added on.
The most confusing part of pop chord notation is how several things mean the same thing. C4 means a C major chord with an added 4th or an added F. Csus means the exact same thing. C(add4) ALSO means the exact same thing. Similarly Cdim and Cm(b5) are the same thing. The worst part is when you want to add a sharp note to a chord and notate it C#2. Is this a C# with an added 2 or a C with an added #2. Its correct in both situations but it isn't clear, which is one reason I personally prefer Roman Numeral Notation.
Finally, in pop chord notation you can notate the bass note with a "/." So for example, C/E would be a C major chord with an E in the bass. Then you can also remove notes from a chord by saying "omit" or saying "no." So a C(no3) and C(omit3) are both C major without the 3rd (E in this case) and would therefore only be C and G. While all of these situations come up occasionally in pop songs, a grand majority of the time, a song will look like this:
Which is really not that complicated. If you're playing jazz it can get harder, but if you're at that point you're probably beyond the point of needing the help this article can provide.
There are a few other quirks of pop chord notation, but you will likely not run into them. If you do find yourself needing help with some music, feel free to sign up for a lesson with me by clicking here. I'd be happy to help!
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