| A chord chart or lead sheet has the chord written in alphanumeric (letters and numbers) form; so you'll see something like C 7 b 9. That gives you ALL the info you need about the chord, not just the root.
C = the tonic or root
C 7 = the number 7 without any other info tells you that this is a dominant chord, that is a major triad with a minor or flat 7th OR C E G Bb
b9 = says that the 9th degree is flatted OR C E G Bb Db
So all thes notes are present in the chord. Are they the only notes you can play? No, but that's a pretty long involved discussion. If you aren't sure how chords are put together, you should check out jazzbo's excellent tutorial in the LESSONS/ARTICLES section of this site (look at the blue toolbar at the top of the page).
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"It takes a pretty great drummer to be better than no drummer" -Chet Baker
BECAUSE AWESOME CAT IS AWESOME!!!!!
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