Notating Chord Symbols

The language of chord symbols is not fixed. The way chords are notated differs between books and between musicians. Some people notate a minor chord with M, others with MI or even with MIN. In some books a flat ninth is written as <9 and in other as -9, et cetera.

The fact that there are differences in notation doesn’t really matter. It’s a natural thing. A language is alive and is always changing. But, on the other hand, it would be a good thing to have some kind of standard. This would make it easier to learn the language of chord symbols and it would speed up chord reading.

A part of the existing differences arises from the limited possibilities in depicting signs. For example, you cannot create signs like o, \ and ^ if you use a regular font. But other existing differences have just grown, for no particular reason.

I will be the last person to dictate musicians how to notate chords. But because a kind of standard would be helping, I have tried to make an overview of the choices I think are best in chord notating. These are just meant as recommendations.

Minor with an m

Writing minor chords with MI or MIN is unnecessary long. In some older book you might encounter a hyphen for minor chords, but this sign might be overlooked quickly. Therefore, write GM.

Extensions in superscript

Legibility of chords is better, when extensions are written higher than the root. Therefore, if possible, write G7 instead of G7 and Gsus4 instead of Gsus4.

No superscript in the root

When writing chords by hand, a lot of musicians tend to put the sharp and the flat of the root higher than the letters. But by that the distinction between the root and the extensions will be blurred. Thus, don’t write G< and G>, but rather G@ and G#.

Sus4 with a 4

Some musicians skip the 4 from sus4. But don’t forget there is a sus2 as well, and this might cause confusion. Therefore, write Gsus4.

Alterations with sharp or flat

In a lot of European countries musicians may notate alterations with – or +. But in the States people tend only to use < or >. Thus, write G<5 and G>5 instead of G-5 and G+5, and write G7<9 and G7>9.

No flat ten

In some European countries it is common to indicate a sharp-ninth as a flat ten. However, in the States to my knowledge musicians never use this sign. Therefore, write G7>9 instead of G7-10.

Major seventh with a triangle

A very nice way to depict a major seventh is the triangle, ^. It’s easy to read, you will never mix it up with other extensions. If you don’t have a font with the triangle, write maj7. Don’t write maj^ or ^7, because it’s redundant.

Dim chord with a circle

Notating dim chords or a half-diminished chord is most short and most clear with o and \. Thus, write Go and G\, if possible, and don’t write Gdim and GM7<5.

No brackets

In some books, extensions are put in between brackets. It says G7(<9) instead of G7<9. To my idea this doesn’t help in legibility, so leave out the brackets.

Slash chords with capitals

Occasionally you may encounter lowercase roots after a slash. But most people use capitals. Therefore, write G7/,B instead of G7/,b.

Write the seventh

One issue that is trickier is the notation of seventh in chords including a ninth. In jazz, musicians leave out the seventh, because the ninth implicates the seventh. However, in pop music, people tend to explicitly write the seventh. This is because in pop a chord with a ninth without the seventh is very common, and people tend to write that chord as G9 instead of G,add9. My proposal would be: write the seventh if it is in the chord. This is a minor effort, and if we all do this, notation methods will be uniform in jazz and pop. So, if you ask me, please write G79 if you want to indicate a chord with a seventh plus a ninth.

Resuming

Write