How Do You Read Chord Charts?

A chord chart contains the words to a song with the chords written above the words so the accompanist knows when to play the chords. When chords are listed, first you will see a note name followed by a symbol.

• “Maj” means that it is a major chord. Sometimes “M” is used for short. When no symbol is give, this also means that it is a major chord.
• Minor chords are denoted by “min” or just “m”.
• Slash chords are also used. The part above or to the left of the slash tells you what chord to play in your right hand, while the part below or to the right of the slash tells you what note to play with your left hand (usually referred to as the “bass” note).

There are many more exciting chords to learn, but these are the fundamental chords found in every chord chart. Knowing these chords well for every note will give you a firm foundation to help you learn more advanced chords.

Not familiar with chords yet?  Learn about major and minor chords.  See a chord in a chart that you're not sure about, visit the gospel chord voicings library.  Don't forget to get your hands on my free gospel chord charts!