What do root/quality chord symbols like C, Am, G7 represent?

Root/quality chord symbols such as C, Am, and G7 represent basic chord structures. These symbols indicate not only the root of the chord, for example, C for the C major chord, Am for A minor, and G7 for G dominant seventh, but also the quality of the chord, which describes the intervals that make up the chord. This foundational understanding of chords is essential for musicians as it allows them to build harmonic frameworks for compositions and improvise effectively.

The other options, while relevant in musical theory, do not directly describe what root/quality chord symbols represent. Functional harmonies refer to the roles chords play within a key context, chord progressions relate to the sequence of chords used in a piece of music, and melodic motives are short musical phrases or themes that are developed and repeated throughout a composition. Each of these concepts is built upon the basic understanding of chord structures that root/quality symbols provide.