Chord Symbol Question

[Kimpini]

If a chord is written G-7, would that be major or minor?

Thanks

[Bassist4Life]

that is "g minor 7" spelled: g, b flat, d, f

[Kimpini]

Alright thanks.

[basskopf]

unfortunately, there are no completely standardized conventions for chord symbols. so G minor 7 could be written as G-7 or Gm7 or Gmin7 ... and there are probably other variants too.

G major 7 could be written GM7 or G maj 7.

G dominant 7 could be written G+7 or often just G7.

probably the most common forms of chord notations can be found in the real book series, which present jazz and blues standards. these usually show the most common - but not the only accepted - chord notations.

[ric stave]

Originally Posted by basskopf

unfortunately, there are no completely standardized conventions for chord symbols. so G minor 7 could be written as G-7 or Gm7 or Gmin7 ... and there are probably other variants too.

G major 7 could be written GM7 or G maj 7.

G dominant 7 could be written G+7 or often just G7.

probably the most common forms of chord notations can be found in the real book series, which present jazz and blues standards. these usually show the most common - but not the only accepted - chord notations.

Hmmm.

I thought G+7 would stand for augmented. But I agree - there are many different ways to write them, and sometimes you have to figure out what the person means by comparing to what you know and the key and what makes sense sonically.

[E2daGGurl]

G7 usually means dominant 7th, although as everyone said, there's no standard nomenclature over all publishers of music.

G7 almost never means minor 7th, which is usually written Gm7 or Gmin7 (but read on).

However, since G major 7 is sometimes written Gm7 (it's supposed to be GM7 with a capital letter, but....people don't always do it tha tway), I learned here on TalkBass that the preferred notation is Gmin7 - and lo and behold, most music I come across does indeed use it that way.

G+7 can be augmented seventh, but most modern music uses Gmaj7(#5)
Diminished 7th is usually written with a degree sign in between the G and 7 but I'm too lazy to go find it in my symbols.

So G major 7th is written GM7 or Gmaj7 (preferred, for clarity). I do have charts that have it GM7, though (they're really old).

[Richard Lindsey]

Originally Posted by ric stave

I thought G+7 would stand for augmented.

It does. Plain G7 is NEVER written G+7.

[Richard Lindsey]

Originally Posted by E2daGGurl

G+7 can be augmented seventh, but most modern music uses Gmaj7(#5)

Those are two different chords, not the same one.

G+7 = G B D# F

Gmaj7(#5) = G B D# F#

[Billnc]

Not to forget the triangle for maj 7th

[basskopf]

yes, i stand corrected. my mistake on the dominant chord, which is only written as G7 for example. the plus sign indicates an augmented chord.

good overview on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_notation#Sevenths

[PJSShearer]

I was once ridiculed for not knowing G j7 meant G maj7 - although I've only ever seenit on one chart.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by basskopf

unfortunately, there are no completely standardized conventions for chord symbols. so G minor 7 could be written as G-7 or Gm7 or Gmin7 ... and there are probably other variants too.

While there is more than one way to write a G minor chord, all of those variations are standardized conventions for it and taught in schools.

[Febs]

Originally Posted by E2daGGurl

However, since G major 7 is sometimes written Gm7 (it's supposed to be GM7 with a capital letter, but....people don't always do it tha tway), I learned here on TalkBass that the preferred notation is Gmin7 - and lo and behold, most music I come across does indeed use it that way.

I don't think that Gm7 is ever an acceptable way to write G Major 7. Gm7 should always mean G minor 7, and GM7 should always mean G Major 7. I think that where there is confusion regarding "m7" versus "M7," it tends to come from the use of notation programs using "Jazz Font." In that font, there are no lower case letters, just smaller versions of the capital letters, which makes it difficult to distinguish between and upper-case and lower-case "m." In that case, it's not that "m" is being used to mean "Major" or "M" is being used to mean "minor"--it's just that the font makes it difficult to tell which case of the letter is actually intended. In that case, the better practice is to write "Gmin7" or "GMaj7" so that there is no ambiguity.

[JimmyM]

Jazz font...lol...don't waste my time, you know? Make it readable and easily edited and do it in a font I can read without glasses!

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Jazz font...lol...don't waste my time, you know? Make it readable and easily edited and do it in a font I can read without glasses!

A number of years ago when I was in a show band that got new charts from different acts/arrangers almost every week, we (the band) eventually but decisively came to a definitive conclusion:

An experienced copyist can make a much more legible chart by hand than anyone can with a computer.

[Richard Lindsey]

Originally Posted by Hoover

A number of years ago when I was in a show band that got new charts from different acts/arrangers almost every week, we (the band) eventually but decisively came to a definitive conclusion:

An experienced copyist can make a much more legible chart by hand than anyone can with a computer.

And probably faster, too.

For me, the main benefit of doing it on the computer is archival. You have a copy that can be easily edited if you make a mistake and can be easily reproduced in any quantity while still looking the same. (Of course, you could always scan a handwritten score and have the same reproducibility, though editing would be a little more of a chore.)

[PJSShearer]

An old friend of mine once made a living copying parts for the BBC and he would write out one first violin part and then make another 5 photcopies - he still got paid for 6.

I recall telling more than one act that they shouldn't take their brand new charts on the road, but to take them to a copy/print shop and get copies made on heavy grade paper and use them, so if they got lost, torn, smudged from having beer poured over them, they had a fall-back.

Nothing to do with the cheapskates who'd have bootleg copies of Pop Plans and London Orchestrations they'd previously "borrowed" (we all know who you were...) or the real cheapskates who's "parts" were photocopied sheet music (we know who you were as well...)