One of the most common questions I get when working with musicians who aren’t used to playing chords is “what does that ‘sus’ or number mean after the chord?”\u00a0 Let’s take a look:<\/p>\n
Most of us are used to playing the basic chords that we looked at in the last two days, but what happens when you run up against something like Csus or Cmaj7 or C2?<\/p>\n
Those three suffixes (sus, 2, and some type of 7) are probably the most common suffixes you will see in most praise and worship music.\u00a0 The easiest way to figure out these chords is by looking at the numbers.<\/p>\n
If you see the chord C2, think logically.\u00a0 In the C scale, find out the second note of the scale, which is D, and add it to your C chord.\u00c2 You now have C, D, E, G.\u00a0 It’s that simple.\u00a0 In order to make the chord sound more open, however, eliminate the E from the chord, leaving you with C, D, G.\u00a0 This chord gives a nice, warm sound to the music.<\/p>\n
So, if C2 means that you add the second note of the scale to the chord, a chord with a 7 in the suffix must mean what?\u00a0 You got it!\u00a0 This does get a little bit tricky as there are several types of 7 chords that can be played.\u00a0 I will go into much more detail in a future post, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s stay within the key signature and figure out how this works.<\/p>\n
When you see Cmaj7 written out, do the same thing as C2.\u00a0 Count up to the 7th note of the scale (B) and build the chord accordingly.\u00a0 C-E-G-B.\u00a0 You now have a maj7 chord.\u00a0 One caveat to this is that maj7 chords can only be build on the I (one) and IV (four) chords if you are staying within the key signature.<\/p>\n
So what about ‘sus?’\u00a0 There’s no number there!\u00c2 Fortunately, most of the time ‘sus’ is used, it is shorthand for ‘sus4.’\u00a0 There are exceptions to this, but this is the most common use of ‘sus.’\u00a0 So, just as before, count up to the fourth note of the scale and add that note.\u00a0 C-E-F-G.\u00a0 Here, however, you must eliminate the middle note, E, from the chord.\u00a0 ‘Sus’ is short for suspended, telling you that a note is suspending and wanting to resolve.\u00a0 By playing C-F-G, the chord now wants to resolve itself to C-E-G.\u00a0 Sus4 chords are a great way to add some interest to the end of a phrase.\u00a0 While staying in the key signature, this chord works with the I (one) and V (five) chords.<\/p>\n
Experiment with inversions with these chords as well!\u00a0 Tomorrow we will look at the relative minor chord, or the VI (six) chord, the fourth most commonly used chord in popular music.<\/p>\n
Read Practical Music Theory Tips #4 – Relative Minor Chord<\/a><\/p>\n