Changes

Suspended Chords

2,890 bytes added, 04:09, 9 January 2015

m

no edit summary

<span class="text">[[B Diminished|B dim]]</span>

<span class="text">[[Other Open String Chords|Open Chords]]</span>

== Tonality ==

<span class="text current">[[#Tonality|Tonality]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Inversions/Equivalence|Equivalance]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Common Shapes|Chord Shapes]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Harmonic Function|Harm Function]]</span>

</div>

Their sound is slightly tense but quite harmonic.

Also, by having neither a major nor minor third, they give little indication about whether the current tonality takes a major or minor form. Suspended chords can occur in both major and minor keys.

== Inversions/Equivalence ==

<span class="text">[[#Tonality|Tonality]]</span>

<span class="text current">[[#Inversions/Equivalence|Equivalance]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Common Shapes|Chord Shapes]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Harmonic Function|Harm Function]]</span>

</div>

The sus2 chord has the intervals:

R 2 5 R

This means the chords are basically equivalent, simply using a different root note. 2nd inversion sus2 is a sus4, while 1st inversion sus4 is a sus2.

== Common Shapes ==

<span class="text">[[#Tonality|Tonality]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Inversions/Equivalence|Equivalance]]</span>

<span class="text current">[[#Common Shapes|Chord Shapes]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Harmonic Function|Harm Function]]</span>

</div>

===6 String===

<span class="text current">[[#6 String|6 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#5 String|5 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#4 String|4 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#3 String|3 Str]]</span>

</div>

{|

! Sus2 !! Sus4

The first example of the sus2 demonstrates the stacked fifths on its bass strings. In rock playing, often only those 3 notes are played in that shape, requiring no index finger barre. The sus4 demonstrates the stacked 4ths on its A, D, and G strings.

===5 String===

<span class="text">[[#6 String|6 Str]]</span>

<span class="text current">[[#5 String|5 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#4 String|4 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#3 String|3 Str]]</span>

</div>

{|

! Sus2 !! !! Sus4

''' ''' |-|-|-|-|

|}

===4 String===

<span class="text">[[#6 String|6 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#5 String|5 Str]]</span>

<span class="text current">[[#4 String|4 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#3 String|3 Str]]</span>

</div>

{|

! Sus2 !! Sus4 !!

|}

Here we finally take advantage of that barre for the 4-string sus2 chord.

===3 String===

<span class="text">[[#6 String|6 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#5 String|5 Str]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#4 String|4 Str]]</span>

<span class="text current">[[#3 String|3 Str]]</span>

</div>

{|

! Sus2 !! Sus4 !! 1st Inv Sus4

'''5''' |-|m|-|-|

|}

== Harmonic Function ==

<span class="text">[[#Tonality|Tonality]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Inversions/Equivalence|Equivalance]]</span>

<span class="text">[[#Common Shapes|Chord Shapes]]</span>

<span class="text current">[[#Harmonic Function|Harm Function]]</span>

</div>

Suspended chords are often used to prolong the full resolution from a progression. For example, when resolving from V or vii° to the tonic chord of the key, the 2nd note of the key is found in both the V and vii° chords. The other notes resolve, while that 2nd sustains, forming the sus2 chord on the tonic chord, preventing a full resolution. After sustaining the sus2 long enough, the 2nd resolves up to the 3rd or down to the tonic, making the I and completing the resolution.

===Examples===

G Csus2 C

eE--3--------3----3--- bB--3--------3----5--- gG--4--------5----5--- dD--5--------5----5--- aA--5--------3----3--- eE--3-----------------

F/C Csus4 C

eE--1--------1----0--- bB--1--------1----1--- gG--2--------0----0--- dD--3--------3----2--- aA--3--------3----3--- eE--------------------

Another common usage is to alternate between sus2, sus4 and the major or minor chord with the same root. This adds a little melody into the harmony. This can be heard most predominantly in ''Kansas'' 's "Dust in the Wind" and ''Led Zepplin'' 's "Tangerine". However, it's important to distinguish that these cases aren't often true suspensions, with the major/minor 3rd actually being played by another instrument or in a different octave. Then the effect is similar to a 9th or 13th chord, which we will cover later.

Am Asus4 Am Asus2 E

eE--0----0----0----0----0----- bB--1----3----1----0----0----- gG--2----2----2----2----1----- dD--2----2----2----2----2----- aA--0----0----0----0----2----- eE----------------------0----- <div class="going-top">[[#top|Top]] <i class="fa fa-level-up fa-fw"></i></div>

== Homework ==

<span class="text">[[B Diminished|B dim]]</span>

<span class="text">[[Other Open String Chords|Open Chords]]</span>

[[Category:Harmony]]

[[Category:Chords]]

Meambobbo

Bureaucrat, administrator

8,720

edits

Changes

Suspended Chords

MAB Wiki