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Letters and figures naming a harmony without writing it out.
Also known as: Guitar chord names, Lead sheet symbols
Chord symbols name a harmony by root and quality — C, Am7, G7sus4 — leaving voicing to the player. The vocabulary is not standardised: the same chord can be written several ways and some abbreviations mean different things in different traditions.
Name a harmony by root letter and quality abbreviation, leaving the arrangement of the notes to the player.
Contexts: Music
Follow no single standard, so the same chord appears variously as a minor seventh, a dash seven or a small m seven, and some abbreviations differ in meaning between jazz and popular practice.
Contexts: Music
A capital letter with small superscript numerals and letters, printed above the staff.