Sus Chords

GO BEYOND BASIC MAJORS AND GET SOME NEW SHAPES SUSSED WITH OUR LOOK AT SUS CHORDS.

Theory helps explain the creative aspects of music. Ponder on that for a moment. Theory isn’t there to give you strict rules to follow – it’s your music and your rules! No, theory should help explain what’s going on. The structures and scales you learn are just commonly-used patterns. Get to grips with them and gradually you’ll understand how the guitarists you love write and play.

Which brings us on to this issue’s lesson on suspended (or ‘sus’) chords. Most guitarists start playing sus chords long before they know how they work – there are loads of easy shapes, after all.

So, how does knowing the theory help you? Well, once equipped with a little essential knowledge, you can start to plot new shapes around the fretboard. You’ll develop your ear, too, and start improvising around these essential shapes. And if chords aren’t immediately exciting to you, just remember that you can write riffs, arpeggios and melodies around these ideas too. Before you know it, you’ll be incorporating these ideas into your playing.