Can someone point me to a website or book that contains tables of chord spellings like below?
I’d like to have these tables in my 3-ring music theory binder for fast and easy retrieval when I need them.
I don’t know how many possible chords there are, so if there are zillions (like scales) here is the list that I eventually would like to obtain.
Major Major 6 Major 7 Suspended 2 Suspended 4 Augmented Augmented Major 7 Dominant 7 Minor Minor 6 Minor 7 Minor Major 7 Diminished Diminished 7 Half Diminished 7
Also, for those chords that contain more than 3 notes, it would be great if the 3 essential notes could be identified. Of course, sharp and flat chords are needed, not just major chords.
I’m thinking somebody must have organized this in an easily digestible format. Thanks for any pointers.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
In many ways though, possibly the best approach is to learn the rules and intervals, because then one can build any chord, from the ground up, from first principles. There are an awful lot if one tries to learn them.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Thanks Student, Both of these websites should allow me to construct the tables but they don't show the 3 essential notes. For example CMajor7 is shown as C-E-G-B. What are the 3 essential notes? I'm guessing C-E-B.
And yes, a PDF file to print would be ideal and much faster if that exists.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Thanks Gordon, I don't need the piano keys per-se but I do need the note names. This site also looks like I could construct the tables but again it doesn't show the 3 essential notes.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
... construct the tables but they don't show the 3 essential notes. For example CMajor7 is shown as C-E-G-B. What are the 3 essential notes? I'm guessing C-E-B..
OK, now this changes the question. For a bass player, I would think the three most essential notes of a chord are the root, fifth, and seventh. To look at this another way, a keyboard player or guitarist might choose not to play the root or fifth, thinking the bass has it covered, but they will most certainly play the third to establish whether the chord is major or minor. As the seventh is either major or dominant (minor), that is a nice tone for the bass to hit once in a while. The upper extensions, like 9th, 11ths, 13ths, or flatted versions of same, are usually not played by the bass. Does that help?
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Thanks Student, Both of these websites should allow me to construct the tables but they don't show the 3 essential notes. For example CMajor7 is shown as C-E-G-B. What are the 3 essential notes? I'm guessing C-E-B.
Essential Notes is not familar terminology to me. The chord tones (or spelling) of a CMajor7 are the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th in the C Major Scale. So that would be a four note chord, as shown C-E-G-B. So while C-E-B is technically a CMaj7 with no 5th, I don't now of any listing which would specify this, in this manner. Maybe something I don't know.
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... construct the tables but they don't show the 3 essential notes. For example CMajor7 is shown as C-E-G-B. What are the 3 essential notes? I'm guessing C-E-B..
OK, now this changes the question. For a bass player, I would think the three most essential notes of a chord are the root, fifth, and seventh. To look at this another way, a keyboard player or guitarist might choose not to play the root or fifth, thinking the bass has it covered, but they will most certainly play the third to establish whether the chord is major or minor. As the seventh is either major or dominant (minor), that is a nice tone for the bass to hit once in a while. The upper extensions, like 9th, 11ths, 13ths, or flatted versions of same, are usually not played by the bass. Does that help?
Thanks Matt. Don't think bass player only. I have a keyboard and find myself using in more and more. It gives me a musical satisfaction different from what I get from my bass. Here is an example where I'm playing the brass section which I know can be improved.
Knowing how the chords in my songs are constructed (as opposed to looking at them as black boxes) can only help me on both instruments.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
I appologize. I thought "essential notes" is a common concept in music, my bad.
I think what "essential notes" means is those notes that are required in the chord for the chord to maintain its fullness or most of it's fullness. If you ommit non-essential notes, the chord won't completley collapse or be non-recognizable. Think required, fundamental, or necessary.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
I appologize. I thought "essential notes" is a common concept in music, my bad.
I think what "essential notes" means is those notes that are required in the chord for the chord to maintain its fullness or most of it's fullness. If you ommit non-essential notes, the chord won't completley collapse or be non-recognizable. Think required, fundamental, or necessary.
What it doesn't tell you and no chart will tell you is what to play. As a guitarist I leave out a lot of notes. What you have to think about is what notes are the entire band going to or are playing. For instance in a C7 to a Cm7 chord progression your horn section might only play the 3rd b7th to the the b3rd and b7th. The bass may play the 1 and 5 while the piano plays the entire chords.
Look carefully at the chard and most chord essentials (I never heard of that terminology either) and you will see that the 1-3 and the chord extensions (7,9,11,or 13) are labeled as essentials. Other chord essentials according to the chart are #5, sus2, sus 4, etc. What the chart doesn't include are added extensions like C7#13, or Cm7#11.
Don't forget as a bassist you can play any note in the chord and use passing notes to go either the another chord note or a different chord note. If it sounds good it is good.
I hope this helps and good luck.
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I’ve never really thought about any notes not being essential to a chord. Even if no one is playing them, I hear all the notes of the chord in my head.
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I studied a thing called Shell Chords which is much like "essential Chords". However, it is bit of a Jazz Guitar 101 concept. But unlike "essential chords", you can google "shell chords".
Shell Chords (aka guide tone chords) are basic jazz guitar chords and are essential knowledge for every jazz guitarist. Having a good understanding of shell chords will make it easier for you to learn more complex chords later on.
Shell chords only contain 3 notes:
The 1, also known as the root. The third: 3 in major and dominant chords, b3 in minor chords. The seventh: 7 in major chords, b7 in dominant and minor chords. The third and seventh are the most important notes of a chord because they define if a chord is major, dominant or minor.
Also, for those chords that contain more than 3 notes, it would be great if the 3 essential notes could be identified.
It sounds to me like you are attempting think of everything as a form of triad. This all depends on inversions, the emphasis on 7th's etc relative to the music, and chord progressions, etc. One persons suggestion of the three 'essential' notes will likely not always agree with another's.
Quote:
Of course, sharp and flat chords are needed, not just major chords.
Hmmm. Does not compute . You mean like an F Major chord and also an F# Major Chord? Or an A Major chord and an Ab Major chord? They are all Major chords. Perhaps you meant minor chords as well as major chords?
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I’ve never really thought about any notes not being essential to a chord.
Duly noted, but apparently the guitar chord website talks about essential chords which to me indicates a simplification. And having no formal (and little informal) music training, I'm thinking simplification is a good thing.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Hmmm. Does not compute . You mean like an F Major chord and also an F# Major Chord? Or an A Major chord and an Ab Major chord? They are all Major chords. Perhaps you meant minor chords as well as major chords?
Yes, per the table I posted the F Major chord is F-A-C. I don't know what the F# Major chord is. It isn't in the table and I don't know how to derive it.
If I need to memorize each and every scale in order to derive the chord spellings, that seems like a huge effort. Or is the solution to use one of the websites MusicStudent provided above and mouse-click to produce the spellings?
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Don't forget as a bassist you can play any note in the chord and use passing notes to go either the another chord note or a different chord note. If it sounds good it is good.
Thanks Mario, some of this is starting to sink in.
Part of why I'm asking this is what you are saying. "As a bassist you can play any note in the chord".
The problem is, I don't yet know the notes that make up all the chords I'm likely to encounter . . . hence the need for the tables.
C Major thru B Major (naturals only) I have covered; See the table above. But C# Major ?? D# Major ?? Gb Major ??
Then we have minor chords and the rest shown on the list in original post.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
[quote=AudioTrack] I don't know what the F# Major chord is. It isn't in the table and I don't know how to derive it.
If I need to memorize each and every scale in order to derive the chord spellings, that seems like a huge effort. Or is the solution to use one of the websites MusicStudent provided above and mouse-click to produce the spellings?
First, the major triad for a F# would be F#,A#,C#. And while it may seem like a huge effort it is really just a matter of putting in the time to understand basic theory. So, yes you could just use the websites I pointed to or get a book/cheat sheet and look up what and when you need to. But the more you use this stuff the more it starts to sink in. There really is a means to the madness.
You are asking the right questions. Just keep at it.
And if I may...
Every Major Chord is built from the Major Scale no matter what key you start from. The formular for a Major Scale is: (I) whole step (ii) whole step (iii) half step (IV) whole step (V) whole step (vi) whole step (VII) half step (I)
Every scale (Minor, Augmented, Diminished) has a different and unique formular
First, the major triad for a F# would be F#,A#,C#. You are asking the right questions. Just keep at it.
I think a light bulb went off. If F Major is F-A-C and F# Major is F#-A#-C# Then is C# Major C#-E#-G# = C#-F-G#?
And D# Major D#-F##-A# = D#-G-A#?
If so, does the same work Xb Major? Just flatten the notes of the natural major chord notes?
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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. You mean like an F Major chord and also an F# Major Chord? Or an A Major chord and an Ab Major chord? They are all Major chords. Perhaps you meant minor chords as well as major chords?
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