Harmony
Chord Symbols Explained: Major, Minor, Seventh and Slash Chords
A chord symbol names the root, the quality, the extra notes and the bass. Here is how to read Cmaj7, C7, Cm7, C/E and C7b9, and the notes each one contains.
Lead sheet
A notation of a song with its melody, chord symbols and lyrics, leaving the accompaniment and voicings to the performer.
Also called: lead sheets, chord chart, chord sheet
A lead sheet gives the melody in notation, the chord symbols above the staff, and the lyrics beneath. It leaves the arrangement, the rhythm patterns and the voicings to the performer, so one sheet serves a pianist, a guitarist or a full band. Chord symbols are written above the melody at the point where each chord begins, such as Dm7 followed by G7 for a standard two-five pair. A lead sheet is a skeleton. It tells the players what the tune is and what the harmony is, but not how to play the accompaniment. Jazz standards and popular songs are often published this way, so a player who knows the chords can accompany from a lead sheet with the melody as a guide.
Related terms
- Chord-scale theoryA method that pairs each chord symbol with a scale whose notes fit that chord, for improvising over a set of changes.
- ReharmonizationReplacing the original chords under an existing melody with different ones, while the tune itself stays the same.
- HookA short, memorable melodic, rhythmic or lyrical idea, often repeated, that makes a song easy to recall.