Chord Symbols

Songs are composed of melodies. Underneath those melodies is a harmonic structure that is made up of chords. These chords are meant to support the melody, and the chords are then lined up in an order called a chord progression. When a jazz musician understands the relationship between the chord progression and the melody, the musician then has a greater ability to compose solos over the solo sections of the tune. But to get to that point, we have to start at the beginning. We have to understand chord symbols.

You can find chord symbols above the measures of a jazz tune like the song There Will Never Be Another You. The chord symbols are expressed with the Root of the chord + its flavor + whether it is a 7th chord.

What is the ROOT of the CHORD? If the symbol is Ebmaj7, then the ROOT of the chord means the chord's lowest note (or tonic center) is Eb. This means that to play over this type of chord, you will need some sort of scale based on Eb as the home note.

What is the FLAVOR of the Chord? If the symbol is Ebmaj7, the flavor is the maj7 part. This refers to whether the third of the chord, or the third note of the scale is major or minor. The 7th part means that because it is a maj7, the 7th note in the chord is the same as the 7th note from a major scale. Maj7 can also be expressed with a triangle before the 7.

The 3 different chord Types & Modes to learn first:

the major 7th chord / The Ionian Mode

the Dominant 7th chord / The Mixolydian Mode

the Minor 7th chord / The Dorian Mode

Then, learn the Minor 7 flat 5 chord (half-diminished), known as the Locrian mode.

Modes Can Make it All Easier!

Modes can unlock many different chord types.

Ionian = Major 7 chord. This mode uses the major scale. Once you've learned all 12, you will know at least 12 chords.
Dorian = Minor 7 chord. This mode uses the 2nd degree of the major scale. Play 2nd note to 2nd note in the major scale.
Phrygian = Minor 7 b9, b13 chord. Play the major scale, starting on the 3rd note to the 3rd note.
Lydian = Major 7 #4 chord. Play the major scale, starting on the 4th note.
Mixolydian = Dominant 7th chord. Start on the 5th note of the major scale, going to the next 5th note.
Aoelian = Minor 7 b13 chord. Start on the 6th note of the major scale and play to the 6th note.
Locrian = Minor 7 b5, b9, b13. Also known as a half-diminished chord because of the flat 5. This chord symbol uses a circle with a line through it. This mode starts on the 7th note of the major scale. This should be the mode you learn after you are comfortable with Dorian and Mixolydian.

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