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This Issue: Sus and Add Chords

Continuing in our quest to demystify non-standard chord voicings (ie not your straight major or minors) we turn our attention to the Sus and Add chords. When we see the word ‘Sus’ in a chord name, such as D sus4, it is an abbreviation of D Example 1 By leaving the second string open, rather than the normal C# at the second fret, we omit the 3rd and create an A add9 with the resultant B. Many a song has been written by artists experimenting with the sus2, sus4 and major versions of the same chord. Try it for yourself. Example 4 A add11 differs from the Asus4, as it adds the 4th to the existing A major triad, giving us A, C#, D and E – though this E (or 5th) has been omitted for clarity in this case. Adding the 4th in this way doesn’t give the same ‘suspended’ feel as A sus4, as you can hear. suspended 4th. So instead of the usual D major chord tones – D (root), F# (3rd) and A(5th) – the 3rd is replaced by the suspended note, in this case G, 4th note of the D major scale. Playing a D sus4, then a D major chord gives the feeling that the Example 2 Here’s the sus4 version of the same chord.This time we replace the C# with a D – 4th note in the A major scale. In case you were wondering – yes, this means Sus chords are neither major nor minor. Example 5 Example 3 A add9 is often incorrectly used as the name for Asus2. This is actually a very different chord, as you can hear, containing both the B and the 3rd, C#. Potential confusion comes in when you realise that B could be called the 2nd or the 9th. This chord could also be called A add2, though that would imply adding a B that was only a tone above the root – could be messy. If you’ve ever listened to Rush, this one will bring a smile to your face. By adding the open B and E strings to what otherwise would be an F# major chord, we are adding the 4th (B) and a b7th (E). The resulting chord is the tricky-sounding (but easy to play) F#7 add11. first ‘suspended’ chord ‘resolves’ to the major chord – like an ‘Amen’! Sus2 chords work in the same way. What about Add chords, you may ask? Well, we simply add notes to the existing chord rather than replacing the 3rd. See the examples below. Example 6 Taking an F major 7th chord and leaving the third string open, we omit the 3rd (A) and replace it with the 2nd (G). We already have the major 7th (E)on the open first string, so this chord is usually known as F major7 sus2.