​Basic Music Theory applied to the Guitar.

Chord Symbols and Structures (Part Two). [Beginner Lesson]

Beginner Lesson

What does it mean when you see a chord letter (i.e. "C") and then a bunch of weird symbols following it?

For example if you see this chord in a song: "C7", what does the "7" mean?  Or maybe you see a chord that looks like this: "Am7". Now, there's an "m" and a "7". It's actually very simple. These small letters and numbers indicate chord structure.

Let's back up a little bit...

Review: What is a chord? A chord is any two or more notes played together. Most recognizable chords require three notes. For example: A "C" chord (or C major chord), requires three separate notes played in any order. These chords are called "Triads". Those three notes are C, E and G. Why those notes? They have to come from somewhere, right? Well, they actually do! They come from a theoretical understanding in music called "Keys". This is not the same thing as keys on a piano. A Key in music is a group of seven notes that all belong together in a sort of family. For example, the seven notes in the K…