Chord Chart
Chords and sections only — no melody, no written accompaniment
Related
A chord chart gives chords and sections only: chord symbols laid out by bar, barlines between them, as in | C | Am | F | G |, with neither melody nor accompaniment texture.
It suits a rhythm section rehearsing quickly and lets an arranger fix the harmonic frame first. A lead sheet differs by keeping at least the main melody. The Nashville number chart is a close relative, but uses degrees such as 1, 4 and 5 instead of letters, which makes transposition easier.
It is easy to assume the chart says how to play. Symbols fix neither inversion, rhythm pattern nor voicing; drummer and bassist still design their parts, and fixed motifs or counterpoint are lost if only chords are given.
Sources
- 和弦谱的符号惯例与段落记法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Chord"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.