---
title: "Chord Symbols Explained: Cmaj7, Am7, C/E · Piakno"
description: "A chord symbol names a chord in a few characters: a root letter, a quality such as m, 7 or maj7, and sometimes a slash and a bass note. Cmaj7 means C–E–G–B; C/E means a C chord with E lowest."
url: "https://piakno.com/theory/chord-symbols"
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---

# Chord symbols

> A chord symbol names a chord in a few characters: a root letter, a quality such as m, 7 or maj7, and sometimes a slash and a bass note. Cmaj7 means C–E–G–B; C/E means a C chord with E lowest.

Also called chord names or lead sheet chords

## How do you read a chord symbol?

Every symbol is built in the same order, and you read it left to right. First comes the root, a letter from A to G with ♭ or ♯ if it needs one. Then the quality, which says which notes sit on top of the root: nothing at all means major, m means minor, 7 adds a minor seventh and maj7 a major one. Last comes an optional slash and the lowest note. So Bm7♭5 reads as B, minor, seventh, flat fifth.

*The same root, four qualities: C, Cm, C7 and Cmaj7. Only the notes above C change.*

| Symbol | Name | Notes on C |
| --- | --- | --- |
| C | major | C E G |
| Cm | minor | C E♭ G |
| Cdim | diminished | C E♭ G♭ |
| Caug | augmented | C E G♯ |
| Csus2 | suspended second | C D G |
| Csus4 | suspended fourth | C F G |
| C6 | major sixth | C E G A |
| Cm6 | minor sixth | C E♭ G A |
| C7 | dominant seventh | C E G B♭ |
| Cmaj7 | major seventh | C E G B |
| Cm7 | minor seventh | C E♭ G B♭ |
| Cm7♭5 | minor seventh, flat five (half-diminished) | C E♭ G♭ B♭ |

The symbol lists the chord; it does not say how to play it. The octave, the order of the notes and which hand takes which are yours to choose, except that a slash names the lowest note (below). Even the notes are not strict: players often leave out the fifth of a seventh chord.

> Charts disagree on spelling. Some print C+ for Caug, CΔ for Cmaj7 and Cø for Cm7♭5, and a minus sign for m; each names the same notes as the form in the table, which is the one Piakno writes. The circle is looser: C° can mean the triad Cdim or, especially in jazz, the diminished seventh (C–E♭–G♭–A), so check the chart’s legend or the chords around it.

## What does the slash in a chord symbol mean?

A slash adds a second letter after the chord: the letter before it is the chord, the letter after it is the lowest note. C/E is a C chord with E in the bass, so the notes are still C, E and G, with E below the others. In C/G the bass is G. When the bass note is not in the chord, as in C/D, it is not an inversion but a different bass under the same chord.

*C, C/E and C/G: the same three notes each time, with C, then E, then G lowest.*

## How is a chord symbol different from a Roman numeral?

A symbol names the notes of one chord and says nothing about the key. A Roman numeral names the chord’s place in a key and does not say which notes they are until you know the key. G7 is always G–B–D–F, while V7 is G7 in C, D7 in G and F7 in B♭. Lead sheets print symbols because the player needs the notes; analyses print numerals because the analyst wants the function. In a pop or jazz analysis a plain 6 after a numeral (I6) is a sixth chord, not an inversion; the small raised ⁶ of classical figures (I⁶) is the inversion.

| Numeral | In C | In G | In B♭ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| I | C | G | B♭ |
| ii7 | Dm7 | Am7 | Cm7 |
| IV | F | C | E♭ |
| V7 | G7 | D7 | F7 |
| vi | Am | Em | Gm |

## Common questions

### What is the difference between Cm7 and Cmaj7?

Cm7 is C–E♭–G–B♭: a minor chord with a minor seventh. Cmaj7 is C–E–G–B: a major chord with a major seventh. The m in Cm7 refers to the third, while maj refers to the seventh.

### How do you play a chord symbol on the piano?

Spell the chord from its root and quality, then play those notes together. Am7 is A, C, E and G. A common choice is the root in the left hand and the rest in the right, but the symbol leaves that to you.

### Does a chord symbol tell you the key?

No. Am7 is the same four notes whether the song is in C, in G or in A minor. The key comes from the chords around it, which is what Roman numerals are for.

## You can practice this in:

- [Chord-symbol harmony · Level 1](https://piakno.com/chord-harmony?level=1)

## Related entries

- [Roman numerals](https://piakno.com/theory/roman-numerals)
- [Major and minor triads](https://piakno.com/theory/major-and-minor-triads)
- [Chord inversions](https://piakno.com/theory/chord-inversions)
- [Seventh chords](https://piakno.com/theory/seventh-chords)
- [The dominant seventh chord](https://piakno.com/theory/dominant-seventh)
- [The ii–V–I progression](https://piakno.com/theory/ii-v-i)

- [Theory reference](https://piakno.com/theory)