Musicians use various kinds of chord names and symbols in different contexts to represent musical chords. In most genres of popular music, including jazz, pop, and rock, a chord name and its corresponding symbol typically indicate one or more of the following:
- the root note (e.g. C♯)
- the chord quality (e.g. minor or lowercase m, or the symbols or + for diminished and augmented chords, respectively; chord quality is usually omitted for major chords)
- whether the chord is a triad, seventh chord, or an extended chord (e.g. )
- any altered notes (e.g. sharp five, or ♯5)
- any added tones (e.g. )
- the bass note if it is not the root (e.g. a slash chord)
For instance, the name C augmented seventh, and the corresponding symbol C, or C, are both composed of parts 1 (letter 'C'), 2 ('aug' or '+'), and 3 (digit '7'). These indicate a chord formed by the notes C–E–G–B. The three parts of the symbol (C, aug, and ) refer to the root C, the augmented (fifth) interval from C to G♯, and the (minor) seventh interval from C to B♭.
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