Can anyone explain the little triangle symbol after some chords? or the circle with the diagonal line through? (national speed limit?)

I found these in my Grade One Jazz Flute Tunes book and my keyboard teacher (who has a Dip in organ) is mystified. Is there a website that might help? I'm very familiar with chords generally - it's just these unusual symbols that have thrown me.

I will be buying some guidance book(s) but I'd like to try some things out now.

There's really a lot to learn for Grade One Jazz exams! - it must be even more tricky for those new to the instrument too.

Answering my own question here...

I found this - http://www.justinguitar.com/dev/Jazz/Basic...azz_Chords.html

and that the triangle is Major 7th chords

and the no speed limit sign is Minor 7th flattened 5th chords

mmmm

The triangle means major - it doesn't have to be a major seventh chord though (unless it's followed by a seven). It could just be a triad - I think that is what the triangle originally signified. Any seventh chord that doesn't have a triangle, capital "M" or Maj/maj is always a flat (dominant) seventh.

The circle with a line through it - minor 7 flat 5 chord is also referred to as "half-diminished". A circle without a line through is a diminished chord i.e. a stack of minor thirds.

Thanks TSax - I'm sure this thread will grow when I dig up more hieroglyphics

The triangle always means major seventh in my experience. Also, M7 means major seventh whereas m7 means minor seventh. -9 means flattened ninth, as does b9. 7+ means 7th augmented, ie a chord with an augmented (sharpened) fifth in it as well as a seventh. It does takes a while to learn all these - as you say they do tend to look like heiroglyphics for a while...

Violinia

I usually assume a chord with just a triangle is a major seventh but do remember discussing it with my sax teacher once in the context of a particular piece, I think it was a Dexter Gordon rhythm changes piece. Her advice was that in that context it was definitely a major triad but that the quality of the seventh was ambiguous and that the pianist would probably voice it without the seventh but with other extensions.

Most of my day job involves manipulating numbers and I can get really fascinated by the theory behind the chord changes, substitutions, alterations, extensions and their relationship to various scales. I just wish I could put it all into practice when I put my sax in my mouth!

ah jazz chord ... to say .....

(apologies to whoever first posted that story !)

*groan* - took me a while to work out what you were on about, Maggie!!