What does B mean after A chord?

This note name indicates the lowest note of the chord, which we call the root. This root note is always our starting point. This can be any letter from A to G, which is sometimes be followed by one of two symbols: a sharp (#) or a flat (b): B. b.

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SECTION 4

The Logic Behind Chord Names

So you know how to read chord names and you know how to play them. But what do all those letters and numbers mean? What's the logic behind chord names? In this section, we'll take a look at the 'anatomy' of chord names: what components are they made up of and how do they fit together? Before you dive in, you should know that this section requires some knowledge of music theory: You know about sharps and flats You understand what an interval is If you know those two things, this explanation should make sense. If you are a StringKick All Access Member, you can of course take a course to learn all about this! Check out Music Theory From Scratch to learn all about intervals and how to play them on guitar, and how chords are constructed (and much more!). Chord Name Anatomy A chord is a bunch of notes sounding together. If you’d walk over to a piano right now and press a random bunch of keys at the same time, that would be a chord. Of course, most chords we use in music aren't made up of random notes, but are composed of carefully selected notes. We start with the lowest note in the chord: the root note. We then start stacking other notes on top of the root note to construct a chord with a certain mood. I like to think of these stacked notes as ingredients: by choosing them carefully, we can create chords with very specific 'flavours' or moods. We can make chords sound sad, happy, gloomy, sweet, tense, relaxed... In fact, we have set 'recipes' for chords known as 'chord types'. That's what a chord name really is: it's a recipe that tells us musicians which notes we should add to a chord in order to get a certain sound. This 'recipe' is made up out of five possible components, which we’ll tackle one by one. Here's the anatomy of a chord name: The Root The Chord Quality Sevenths or other added notes Extensions A specific bass note (‘slash chords’) 1. The Root The first letter of the chord indicates the root note: that’s the lowest note of the chord (with the exception of slash chords, as we'll see below). So even when you see something like ‘A7b9b13’, you’ll know that the lowest note of your chord will be an A. Think of the root note as the starting point for every chord. While everything else in a chord name gives us information about the 'chord type', the root name tells us on which note to start. The chord type is a blueprint for a building, and the root note tells us where to construct that building. Before you move on here are some questions to test yourself and make sure you understand everything so far. The root of Cm7 is… C The root of Bbmaj7#11 is… Bb The root of Ab5 is… Ab (‘A flat’) 2a. Chord Quality: Major and Minor Once we have our root note, we'll add two notes to make a chord: a third and a fifth. Now, if you're familiar with intervals, you'll probably know that we have two kinds of thirds (major and minor) and two kinds of fifths (perfect and diminished). To construct our chord, we always choose one of each: one kind of third and one kind of fifth. And which intervals we choose will determine the chord quality, the second component of a chord name. If we choose a minor third, our chord becomes a minor chord. To indicate this, we add 'm' to chord name. But if we choose a major third, our chord becomes a major chord. However, we don't add anything to a chord name to indicate this. A chord is always major, unless indicated otherwise in the chord name. A fifth is always perfect, unless our chord name indicates otherwise (which we'll get into in a second). So using these 'rules', you should be able to deduce what kind of thirds and fifths have been used in chords such as Amaj7, Bm7 and C#. Let's give it a shot. Does Dm7 have a major or a minor third in it? A minor third. And is Dm7 a major or a minor chord? Because Dm7 has a minor third in it, it's a minor chord. Does Dm7 have a diminished fifth or a perfect fifth in it? It has a perfect fifth in it. Unless indicated otherwise, the fifth is always perfect. Does F#7 have a major or a minor third in it? It has a major third in it. Unless indicated otherwise (by an 'm' and a few exceptions we'll discuss next), the third is major. Is F#7 a major or a minor chord? It's a major chord, because it has a major third in it. Does F#7 have a diminished or perfect fifth in it? It has a perfect fifth in it. Unless indicated otherwise, the fifth is always perfect. 2b. Chord Quality: 5 Exceptions Nine out of ten chords will consist of a major or minor third and a perfect fifth. But, of course there are exceptions, which we'll take a look at now. If you're first getting into theory like this, feel free to skip these exceptions for now by the way! Chords with No Third: Power chords and Sus Chords Power chords are unusual because they consist of only two notes: a root note and a perfect fifth. They don't have a third in them: not a minor third and not a major third. For that reason, power chords aren't major or minor. They're simply a power chord. Because they only consist of a root note and a perfect fifth, we write them by adding a 5 to the note name. For example: 'D5'. Sus chords also don't have a third in them. Sus stands for 'suspended'. The reason why we use the word 'suspended' is not worth getting into (it's related to counterpoint technique), so just read it as 'the third has been replaced by a ....' So in the case of a sus2 chord, the third has been replaced by a major second. In a sus4 chord, the third has been replaced by a perfect fourth. (Note: The fifth is always perfect in sus chords.) Chords with a Diminished Fifth: Diminished and Half-Diminished Chords You might've already wondered what happens when we don't add a perfect fifth but a diminished fifth. Now, the diminished fifth is quite a rough sound, which is why only commonly use it in two chords: diminished chords and half-diminished chords. These chords both consist of four notes, three of which are exactly the same in both chords: A root note

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A minor third

A diminished fifth The last note we add determines whether we're dealing with a diminished chord or a half-diminished chord. When we add a minor seventh to our chord, we get a 'half-diminished' chord. We write it as 'Bm7b5' or Bø. To get a diminished chord, we need to add a so called 'diminished seventh'. Don't worry if you've never heard of a 'diminished seventh': it's nothing more than the theoretically correct name for a major sixth interval. (It's not worth going into why this name is theoretically correct here.) We write this chord either as Cdim or with a small circle: Co. Chords with an augmented fifth: Augmented Chords You’ll probably run into this chord type the least, but this guide wouldn’t be complete without it. Sometimes a fifth will be 'augmented', i.e. one fret/semi-tone higher than a perfect fifth. (In other words, the theoretically correct name for an interval that's just as large as a minor sixth interval.) An augmented chord always has a major third in it. To indicate a chord has an augmented fifth we either use 'aug' or a plus sign. So Caug or C+ Questions Alright, let’s put all that to the test. This was a lot of information to process and remember, so don't hesitate to scroll back up to find the answers. Does a Cm7b5 or Cø have a minor or major third in it? It has a minor third in it. What kind of fifth does a Baug or B+ chord have in it? An augmented chord has an augmented fifth in it. And does a Baug or B+ chord have a minor or major third in it? An augmented chord always has a major third in it. What type of third does a Bb5 have in it? Trick question: a Bb5 is a power chord, which never has a third in it. Which intervals does a Gsus2 chord consist of? It has a major second in it and a a perfect fifth. (So, no third!) Does a F#dim or F#o have a minor or major third in it? A minor third. 3. Added intervals: Sixths, Sevenths and Ninths When we have a three-note major or minor chord, we can add an extra note to it to give the chord some extra flavour and spice. There are four intervals that are regularly added to a three-note major or minor chord: major sixths, minor sevenths, major sevenths and major ninths. Major sixth A m6 G 6 We often add a major sixth either to a minor or a major chord. We don't often add a minor sixth to a three-note major or minor chord (simply because it doesn't sound all that compelling). To write it, we simply add a 6 to the chord. So, here are our options: Some quick questions: Does a Dm6 have a major or minor sixth in it? It has a major sixth in it. And does a Dm6 have a major or minor third in it? It has a minor third in it. Major and Minor Sevenths The ingredient we most often use to add some character to a chord is the seventh. To give a few examples: C maj7 D m7 B 7 There are two kinds of sevens: the major seven and the minor seven. We can add both of those either to a major chord or to a minor chord. So that gets us four options for when it comes to seventh chords: So how do we indicate which type of interval we've added? When we add ‘7’ to the chord symbol, that means a minor seventh. When we add ‘maj7’ to the chord symbol, that means a major seventh. Knowing this, we can fill in our graph: Make sense? Let’s put that that knowledge to the test: Is B7 a major or a minor chord? It’s a major chord! And does a B7 have a minor or major seventh in it? It has a minor seventh in it. A seventh is always minor unless indicated otherwise. Is Bbm7 a major or a minor chord? It’s a minor chord, because it has a minor third in it. How do you pronounce Cmmaj7? C minor major seven And does a Cmmaj7 chord have a minor or major third in it? It has a minor third in it. And what kind of seventh does a Cmmaj7 chord have in it? It has a major seventh in it. Major Ninth The last note that is often added to a three-note major or minor chord is the ninth. Like the sixth, there is only one (common) option: the major ninth. The only difference is that we use a slight different ‘label’ to add this ingredient to a major or minor chord: 'add9'. Here are two examples: C add 9 B m add 9 Updating our chart: And some rapid-fire test questions: How do you say Cmadd9 out loud? C minor add nine And does a Cmadd9 have a major or a minor ninth in it? It has a major ninth in it.

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4. Chord Extensions Adding sixths, sevenths and ninths makes our chords sound a lot richer. But - of course - we can create even more exotic sounds and chord flavours by adding more notes. These notes are what we call 'extensions'. Extensions have names like: b9

9

11 #11

b13

13 We usually add extensions to a four-note chord. This fourth note is always a minor seventh, unless indicated otherwise. So for example, a D9, Am9 and Cm11 all have a minor seventh in it. As you might imagine, we can use these extensions to create dozens of different chord types. So instead of listing all the options here, it makes more sense to understand how chord construction works so you can start making your own combinations to see what they sound like. Here are just a few examples of chords with extensions: D m9 E b m11 E 7#9 C 7b9 G 7 13 F △#11 Alright, let's put that to the test! Which intervals does a Gm9 consist of? A minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh and major ninth. Which intervals does a Ebmaj7#11 consist of? A major third, perfect fifth, major seventh and sharp eleventh. What intervals does a A7b9 consist of? A major third, a perfect fifth, minor seventh and a flat ninth.

stringkick.com - How to Read Chord Names and Symbols [Complete Guide]