What is a Phrygian Chord

A Phrygian chord is defined as a dominant 7th suspended chord that also has a flat 9 in the chord. There are really only two possibilities – 7sus ♭9 and 13sus ♭9.  It is the ♭9 that distinguished the Phrygian mode of the major scale from the Aeolian mode.

Phrygian mode degrees: 1-♭2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7
Aeolian mode degrees: 1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7

Although both modes differ by only one note, the minor 2nd versus the major 2nd, that one note is a huge difference. The Phrygian mode is closer to the Locrian mode than the Aeolian mode, in my opinion.

And when it comes to Phrygian chords, you do not add the ♭9 to the minor triad or minor 7th chord. For example, a Gm7♭9 chord is just an inversion of a B♭13 chord. I’ve never seen anyone use a Gm add ♭9 chord but I suppose you could use that one

What you do instead is add the ♭9 to the 7sus chord. There are only 2 modes where you can build the 7sus ♭9 chord: 3rd mode of the major scale and the 2nd mode of the melodic minor scale.

You can use the Phrygian mode to improvise over a Phrygian chord, but you can use the chords wherever you want. For example, instead of using the E7sus ♭9 chord in the key of C major, you could substitute it as the V7 chord in A major. See the next section for the resolution tendencies of these chords.

G7sus b9 & G13sus b9 chords in detail

The 7sus ♭9 chord is built on the iii of the major scale and the ii of the melodic minor scale. As an example in G, For G that would be E♭ major and F melodic minor.

I notate the chord as 7sus ♭9 but you may also see 7sus♭9, 7sus(♭9), G Phryg, Gdom7 sus(♭9), or some variation of that.

G7sus ♭9 chord tones: G-C-D-F-A♭
G7sus ♭9 intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-m2 = 1-4-5-♭7-♭9
Equivalent chords: G7sus ♭9 = Fm6 add9= Dm11♭5

G13sus ♭9 chord tones: G-C-D-F-E-A♭
G13sus ♭9 intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-M6-m2 = 1-4-5-♭7-13-♭9

The tendency for both chords is strongest to E♭ major, but also to A major. Also try going to A♭, C, D & E major. The resolution for those keys works even though it is not due to the tritone in the chord.

Open G7sus Phrygian chords

I only have 3 chord shapes for each chord and a couple of them are hard to hold. Here is a chart explaining the symbols on my chord diagrams:

Final Thoughts

Not much to say here other than give the chords a try and see if you like them. Check out my G7sus Guitar Chords article for open chord shapes for G7sus, G9sus, and G13sus.

The post G Phrygian Chords (G7sus b9, G13sus b9) appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

G7sus guitar chord in detail

G7sus is similar to a G7 chord except the major third is replaced by the perfect 4th, and therefore does not contain the tritone B-F that exists in C major. However, it still has a strong tendency to resolve to C major because it has the “F” of the tritone. C major is one of the major scales that build a G7sus chord.

Here are the intervals and notes in the chord:

G7sus chord tones: G-C-D-F
G7sus intervals: Root, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, minor 7th = R-P4-P5-m7 = 1-4-5-♭7

It resolves best to C major but also to G, Gm or back a whole step to F. You can also use it before a G7 chord or in place of a m7 chord in a ii-V-I progression. For example, try substituting a Dm7 with a G7sus since there is only one note different between those 2 chords.

Similar to the G7sus chord are the chords G9sus & G13sus. They resolve the same as G7sus. Here are those chords in detail:

G9sus chord tones: G-C-D-F-A
G9sus intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-M2 = 1-4-5-♭7-9
Equivalent chords: G9sus = Dm11 = F6 add9

G13sus chord tones: G-C-D-F-E
G13sus intervals: R-P4-P5-m7-M6 = 1-4-5-♭7-13
Equivalent chord: G13sus = C add9/11

Scales that build a G7sus chord

The 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th scale degrees of the major scale all build 7sus chords. For the note G that would be:

1. F major: G is the 2nd scale degree or Dorian mode
2. E♭ major: G is the 3rd scale degree or the Phrygian mode
3. C major: G is the 5th scale degree or the Mixolydian mode
4. B♭ major: G is the 6th scale degree or the Aeolian mode/Natural minor.

You can also build a G7sus chord from the harmonic and melodic minor scales. The 5th scale degree from both scales builds a 7sus chord but so does the 2nd scale degree of the melodic minor scale.

1. C harmonic minor: G is the 5th scale degree or the Phrygian Dominant mode
2. F melodic minor: G is the 2nd scale degree or the Dorian b2/Phrygian M6 mode
3. C melodic minor: G is the 5th scale degree or the Mixolydian b6 mode.

Open G7sus guitar chords

I have 4 open G7sus guitar chords, 5 G13sus chords but only 2 G9sus chords. Check the Beatles songs’ Come Together for an example of a G7sus and The Long and Winding Road for a G9sus.  I don’t have any examples of a 13sus chord.

 

 

 

Favorite voicings

G7sus: Take your pick because they all sound great.
G9sus: #2 sounds great but I don’t like #1, and of course, you have to use your thumb.
G13sus: I think #’s 1 and 5 sound the best.

Final Thoughts

Add some variety into your songwriting and replace a G7 or Gm7 with a G7sus chord. Also, try the G9sus and G13sus chords to really impress your guitar friends. As with all suspended chords, remember that they are accent chords and rarely last more than one measure. As you work the chords into songs you’ll get a feel for how to use them.

If you like these suspended chords, then take a look at the following two articles of mine:

34 Suspended Chords In The Key Of C Major
Suspended Chords: Dominant 7 Sus4 Chords (C Major Scale)

The post G7sus Guitar Chord: 11 Open Chords appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

Dominant 7th suspended chords from major scales

All but the 4th and 7th degrees of the major scale build sus4 chords, and all of those degrees build suspended 7th chords except for the tonic or 1st scale degree. So any chord with a perfect 4th, perfect 5th, and a minor 7th build a 7sus chord, or dominant 7 suspended chord.

The Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian and Aeolian modes correspond to the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th scale degrees. If you know your modes then you’ll recognize Mixolydian as the only major mode – the others are minor. But since suspended chords are neither major or minor, that doesn’t matter.

Below are the intervals for each 7sus chord type with additional notes on the chords. If you don’t know or understand intervals then read my Music Intervals article first.

7sus4 chord

Chord intervals: Root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh = R-P4-P5-m7 = 1-4-5-♭7
Alternate names: 7sus or 7sus4 are the most common names but also sus7
Equivalent chord: sus add9 on the P4, e.g. D7sus = Gsus add9
Chord tendency: resolves best to the P4 but also the P5 and major version of itself, e.g. A7sus > D major, E major and A major
Scale degrees: the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th major scale degrees all build 7sus chords.

9sus chord

Chord intervals: Root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major 2nd/9th = R-P4-P5-m7-M9 = 1-4-5-♭7-9
Alternate names: 9sus4, sus9, 7sus(9)
Equivalent chord: m11 on P5 and 6 add9 on ♭7, e.g. D9sus = Am11 = C6 add9
Chord tendency: resolves best to the P4 but also to the ♭3 and ♭7, A9sus > D, C, and G major
Scale degrees: the 2nd, 5th, and 6th degrees build a 9sus chord

13sus chord

Chord intervals: Root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major sixth = R-P4-P5-m7-M6/13 = 1-4-5-♭7-13
Alternate names: 13sus4, sus13, 7sus(13)
Equivalent chord: add9/11 on the P4, e.g. D13sus = G add9/11.
Chord tendency: resolves best to the P4 and major version of itself, A13sus > D and A major
Scale degrees: the 2nd and 5th degrees build 13sus chords

7sus ♭9 chord

Chord intervals: Root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh, minor second = R-P4-P5-m7-m9 = 1-4-5-♭7-♭9
Alternate names: 7sus(♭9)
Equivalent chord: m6 add9 on ♭7 and m11b5 on 13, e.g. E7sus♭9 = Dm6 add9 = Bm11♭5
Chord tendency: because of the tritone, it resolves best up a minor 6th or down a major 3rd, E7sus♭9 > C
Scale degrees: only the 2nd degree builds a 7sus♭9 chord

When it comes to chord tendency, over half of the songs I found with a suspended 7th chord of some type “un-suspend” to a 7 chord. For example, A7sus was followed by A7, E7sus was followed by E7, etc. That was true for 9sus and 13sus as well.

If you do that for the 7sus chords in C major, only G7 would be a chord from C major. D7, E7, and A7 would be secondary dominants. Keep that in mind when writing songs with a 7sus. The two most common chords that follow a 7sus chord (or 9sus and 13sus) would be dom 7 with the same note or the tonic major chord. So D7sus, for example, would be followed by D7 or A major most of the time.

Open 7sus4 guitar chord shapes for D7sus, D9sus, D13sus

I have 18 chord shapes for D7sus, D9sus, and D13sus. For all the 7sus chords, take a look at my article Suspended Chords in C major for the sus add9 chord voicings. The sus add9 is an inversion of 7sus chords so they are additional voicings that you could use.

D7sus chord tones: D-G-A-C, equals Gsus add9
D9sus chord tones: D-G-A-C-E, equals Am11 and C6 add9
D13sus chord tones: D-G-A-C, equals G add9/11

Here is a chord diagram of the symbols I use in my chord blocks:

 

 

 

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings

D7sus chords: I have the pinky holding the G on the high E string for #1 so that you can use the ring finger to fret the F# which is a common thing with 7sus chords. #’s 1 and 2 sound great but #’s 3 and 4 are hard to hold. The last 4 all sound great and I added the open A string for #’s 5, 6 and 8 to for a more full open sound.

D9sus chords: These are the only 2 open D9sus voicings I could find and #1 is the easier one to hold.

D13sus chords: #’s 1and 2 sound very similar so pick your favorite. I also like #’s 3, 5 and 8. #7 is hard to hold.

Open E7sus♭9 guitar chord shapes

I could only find 8 chord shapes for E7sus and E7sus♭9.  Let me know if you know of some I missed.

E7sus chord tones: E-A-B-D, equals Asus add9
E7sus♭9 chord tones: E-A-B-D-F, equals Dm6 add9 and Bm11♭5

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings

E7sus chords: They all sound good but #3 is hard to hold.

E7sus ♭9 chords: All of these sound good and are easy to hold. Test them out by going to a C major chord.

Open 7sus guitar chords for G7sus, G9sus, G13sus

I have 10 chord shapes for G7sus, G9sus, and G13sus.

G7sus chord tones: G-C-D-F, equals Csus add9
G9sus chord tones: G-C-D-F-A, equals F6 add9 and Dm11
G13sus chord tones: G-C-D-F-E, equals C add9/11

 

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings

G7sus chords: I only have 3 of them but they all sound good and are easy to hold.

G9sus chords: They both sound good but unfortunately you need to fret the root note with the thumb unless you can hold that note with your index finger without muting the open A string.

G13sus chords: #’s 1 and 3 are hard to hold but #1 sounds great. #3 is the easiest and I like #5 a lot. I have the 13 in the bass for #4 and it sounds interesting voiced that way.

Open 7sus guitar chord shapes for A7sus and A9sus

I have 15 chord shapes for A7sus and A9sus.

A7sus chord tones: A-D-E-G, equals Dsus add9
A9sus chord tones: A-D-E-G-B, equals G6 add9 and Em11

 

 

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings

A7sus chords: My favorites are #’s 1, 3, 6 and 7. The asterisk on #9 means there are 4 frets you can fret for this voicing: 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 10th (each chord tone). You can use #9 to go crazy up the neck and add any notes that work: the 9, ♭3, 3rd, 13, etc.

A9sus chords: #’s 1, 3 and 5 sound the best. You can strum all open strings for #2 but try fretting any open strings at the 12th fret for a more interesting version. I like fretting the D, G, and high E strings at the 12th for that chord.

Songs using 7sus & 13sus chords

Here are some suspended 7th chords I found in my songbooks. I did not find any popular songs with a 7sus♭9 chord. That’s a classic Phrygian chord that only jazz players would use.

Suspended 7th chord examples

Beatles:
A7sus in All You Need Is Love and Revolution
C7sus in The Long and Winding Road and Hey Jude
G7sus in Come Together

Jerry Reed: E7sus in The Claw

Grateful Dead:
B♭7sus in Sunrise
C7sus in Shakedown Street
D7sus in Birdsong and Black Peter
E7sus in Jack Straw
F#7sus in Jack Straw and France

Simon & Garfunkel: C7sus in Bridge Over Troubled Water

Stevie Ray Vaughan: C7sus in Say What!

Doobie Brothers: E7sus in Taking It to the Streets

9sus and 13sus chord examples

Beatles: G9sus in The Long & Winding Road and A9sus in That Would Be Something

Sam and Dave: B9sus in Soul Man

Doobie Brothers:
D13sus, B9sus, and E9sus in Minute by Minute
F9sus and F13sus in What a Fool Believes

Take a look at my Sus4 and Sus2 Chords from C major article for more suspended guitar chords. Also, look at my article Comprehensive List of Chords for all the chords that can be built from C major.

Final Thoughts

The suspended 7th chord is not a chord you hang on for more than a measure, but it’s a great chord to spice up a measure or two that has a single chord. Try turning a regular dominant 7th into a 7sus for a beat or two and then go back to the 7th. Suspended 7th chords can also act like a V7 chord taking you back to the tonic chord.

The post Suspended Chords: Dominant 7 Sus4 Chords (C Major Scale) appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

I have a total of 74 closed and open guitar chord shapes for those chords as well as for the sus add9 chord, but only 34 suspended guitar chords are in this article.

Suspended chords in the key of C major

This article is only for the 3 note sus chords sus2 & sus4, and the sus add9 chord, I have a different article for all the suspended 7th chords in C major.

The notes in C major are all the natural notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Only the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th degrees \ notes have both a major 2nd and perfect 4th. As a result, those notes build sus4 sand sus2 chords. That is true for any major key.

In the key of C major, B has a diminished 5th so it can’t build any suspended chords at all.

The minor 2nd of the note E and the augmented 4th of the note F restrict the number of suspended chords those notes can build. However, you can build Fsus4 chords and Esus2 chords but not in the key of C major.

Suspended chord types in C major

Here are the 3 suspended chord types that can be built in any major key, not including 7 suspended chords. I considered adding the sus4 chord with the added 6th, which I call 6sus, but I never saw that chord in any song.

Sus4 chord
Chord intervals: root note, perfect fourth, perfect fifth = R-P4-P5 = 1-4-5
Alternate names: sus, sus4 or suspended
Resolve tendency: resolves to the major triad version of itself or the major triad on the perfect 4th, e.g. Csus > C or F

Sus2 chord
Chord intervals: root note, major second, perfect fifth = R-M2-P5 = 1-2-5
Chord equivalent: sus4 in 1st inversion
Alternate names: none
Resolve tendency: resolves best to the major version of itself or to the major version of its fifth, e.g. Csus2 > C or G

Sus add9 chord
Chord intervals: root note, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major 2nd/9th = R-P4-P5-M2/9 = 1-4-5-9
Alternate names: sus4 sus2 or sus2 sus4. This chord name is in the song Tangled up in Blue by Bob Dylan.
Resolve tendency: resolves best to the major version of itself or to the major version of its fifth, e.g. Csus add9 > C or G

Check out my article on Major Chords from the key of C Major for an explanation of chord tendency.

Closed & open suspended guitar chords in the key of C major

I only have 2 closed suspended guitar chords for sus add9. The closed sus4 and sus2 guitar chord shapes are in my article Suspended Scales & Sus Chords where I also have open sus2 and sus4 for the notes D & G. Check out my article E Sus Chord for Esus4 guitar chord shapes.

My general rule for open chords is that they must have at least 2 open strings. But I break that rule from time to time. Csus4 and Fsus2 only have 1 open string but the voicings still sound good.

Csus2 chord tones: C-D-G, equals Gsus4
Csus4 chord tones: C-F-G
Csus add9 chord tones: C-F-G-D

*Dsus2 chord tones: D-E-A. Equals Asus4
*Dsus4 chord tones: D-G-A
 Dsus add9 chord tones: D-G-A-E

**Esus4 chord tones: E-A-B

Fsus2 chord tones: F-G-C, equals Csus4

*Gsus2 chord tones: G-A-D, equals Dsus4
*Gsus4 chord tones: G-C-D
 Gsus add9 chord tones: G-C-D-A

Asus2 chord tones: A-B-E
Asus4 chord tones: A-D-E
Asus add9 chord tones: A-D-E-B

*For these suspended guitar chords see my article Suspended Scales & Sus Chords.

** Go to my Esus Guitar Chord for Esus4 guitar chords.

Here is a chord diagram of the symbols I use in my chord blocks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes on the chord voicings:

Sus add9: Both shapes are difficult to hold but they sound good.

C sus chords: Both sus2 chords sound good and resolve nicely to G major. #2 Csus4 is the easier one to hold and just don’t mute the open D for the Csus add9 shape at the 8th fret.

D sus add9 chords: #2 is hard to hold, #’s 3 & 4 sound identical. #1 sounds the best.

F sus2 chords: I only like #1.

G sus add9 chords: #’s 1 & 3 sound good.

A sus chords: All 4 of the Asus2 chords sound alike, but #1 sounds the best. You can slide that shape up to the 9th fret for the #4 shape which is a nice effect. Asus4: #1 & #2 sound great, #3 is hard to hold and #4 sounds fantastic. Asus add9: #1 is the chord from Tangled Up In Blue., and #’s 2 & 3 are my favorites.

 

Final Thoughts

If you like the sound of suspended guitar chords, then I guarantee you I have some shapes above that you will love. As with all sus chords, use them to break up a long section of the same chord or to add a different sound to your chord progressions.

The post 34 Suspended Chords In The Key Of C Major appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

I show the scale shapes for these suspended scales and 29 total closed and open sus2 and sus4 chords for the notes D & G, the 2 suspended modes of the C major pentatonic scale.

What are suspended chords? (sus4 and sus2 chords)

This is not a beginner guitar article on suspended chords. I have two articles that specifically cover suspended chords: Music Triads and The E sus chord. If you are unfamiliar with intervals, then also read my Music Intervals article.

But here is a super quick summary. Suspended chords replace either the minor third in minor chords or the major third in major chords. The notes that do the replacing is either the major 2nd (sus2 chords) or the perfect 4th (sus4 chords).

Here are the formulas for both types:

sus2 = 1-2-5 = R-M2-P5 = Root note + Major 2nd + Perfect 5th
sus4 = 1-4-5 = R-P4-P5 = Root note + Perfect 4th + Perfect 5th

If you only see the word “suspended” or the abbreviation “sus”, then that refers to the more common suspended chord, the sus4 type.

Suspended chords are neither major or minor and have an open, ambiguous sound to them. They are used to break up a “long” section of a single chord, to add ornamentation and embellishment or to signal a change to a new chord. They have an unsteady sound that needs resolution.

Sus2 chords resolve best to the major version of itself or to the major version of its fifth. They also can resolve to the minor version of the fifth, but that resolution is a little weak. For example:

Dsus2 resolves to D major, A major or weakly to A minor.

Sus4 chords resolve best to the major version of itself and secondly to the major version of its fourth. For example:

Dsus4 resolves best to D major but also to G major.

Sus4 chords have a stronger tendency for resolution, where the sus2 tendency is weaker but it is still a nice-sounding chord. I consider both sus2 and sus4 chords as embellishments and the sus4 as a fairly strong sound to take you to a new chord or key.

By the way, the sus2 chord equals the sus4 chord in 1st inversion. For example, Dsus4 = D-G-A and Gsus2 = G-A-D have the same notes. Keep that in mind if you try to find chord voicings of your own.

Suspended scales and sus chords from the C major pentatonic scale

The notes of the C major pentatonic scale can build a surprising number of chords. Let’s look at the notes and chords of the C major pentatonic scale.

C major pentatonic = C-D-E-G-A = 1-2-3-5-6 = R-M2-M3-P5-M6
C chords that can be built with those 5 notes: C major triad, C6, C add9, C6 add9, & Csus2.

All 5 notes together equal a C6 add 9 chord: C-E-G (C triad) + A (6th) + D (the nine).

If you start the scale on the note A, you get the A minor pentatonic, a minor mode of the C major pentatonic.

A minor pentatonic = A-C-D-E-G = 1-♭3-4-5-♭7 = R-m3-P4-P5-m7
Chords rooted on the note A from the A minor pent: Am, Am7, Am11, Asus, & A7sus.

All 5 notes together equal an Am11 chord: A-C-E- (A minor triad) + G (Am7) + D (the fourth / eleven).

The note E does not build any chords because it has no 5th. But the notes D & G ONLY build suspended chords.

The C major pentatonic scale rooted on the notes D & G have the intervals and chords that form the 2 suspended scales that are a part of the major pentatonic scale. Keep in mind that both of those suspended scales include the notes that form the sus2 (major 2nd) and sus4 (perfect 4th) chords.

D dominant suspended pentatonic (9sus pentatonic)

The C major scale starting on D is

D-E-G-A-C = 1-2/9-4-5-♭7 = R-M2-P4-P5-m7

That leads to the following chords: Dsus2, Dsus, Dsus add9, D7sus, & D9sus (nothing bus sus chords).

I call this scale or mode either the Dominant Suspended pentatonic or maybe the 7sus or 9sus mode. Note that the D dominant suspended scale resolves as a V7 chord or moves smoothly to G major.

G major suspended pentatonic

The C major pentatonic starting on G, and the resulting chords are:

G-A-C-D-E = 1-2/9-4-5-6 = R-M2-P4-P5-M6

And those intervals build the following chords: Gsus2, Gsus, G6sus, Gsus add9 (all sus chord).

Because there is no ♭7 but there are the intervals of a major 2nd and major 6th, I like to call this mode the Major Suspended scale.

The G major suspended scale also sounds great resolving to a G major triad. The fact that both of these suspended modes of the C pentatonic scale resolve to G major makes sense since a C6 add9 chord also resolves best to G major.

Suspended scale positions in the major pentatonic scale

Since suspended chords rarely last more than 1 measure, if that, then you really shouldn’t focus on all the notes on all 6 strings. I think it’s best to think in terms of the B.B. boxes (Google “B.B. King Box”).

Just use short “suspended” boxes for a quick riff over a suspended chord. Below are the shapes I prefer.

I have the regular full C major pentatonic scale shape next to a single octave D dominant suspended scale shape, or slightly more than an octave in one of the shapes. The white notes are the root notes of each respective scale.

The fret numbers are at the bottom of the scale shapes. Here are the D Dominant Suspended (7sus) scale shapes. Notice the whole step separation of notes on each string:

 

 

Here are the G Major Suspended scale shapes without the C major pentatonic shapes as reference:

Note where the root notes are for either the 7sus or major sus pentatonic shapes. If you have a preference for the dominant suspended scale but for G, or any other key, then just move the shapes like you would a barre chord.

Closed sus2 and open D & G sus2 guitar chords from the C major pentatonic scale

I only have chord shapes for the notes D & G and only the 3 note chords of sus2 and sus4. If I included all the suspended chords from C major pentatonic it would be over 80 chord shapes. That’s too many for this article.

Let’s just focus on the sus2 and sus4 of the suspended modes. You can try and find Dsus add9, D7sus, D9sus, G6sus, Gsus add9 on your own or wait until I create an article on those chords. By the way, I did find a Gsus2 chord in the song Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix. Let me know if you have other song examples.

It’s a good exercise to map out your own chords. Other sus chords from the C major pentatonic are Csus2, Asus, and A7sus.

Here is a graphic of all the symbols I use in my chord blocks.

I have the closed sus2 chords first followed by the open D & G sus2 guitar chords.

Favorite chords: I like all the closed sus2 chords except #2 (it’s a little difficult). I like all the Gsus2 chords and #’s 1,2 & 4 for D sus2 with #4 being the best.

Special Note: The closed sus2 chord #5 is only 3 notes so triplet picking would be great. It’s a little hard to let the open A string ring out for #3 Dsus2 – it’s okay if you mute it because there is an A on the B string.

 

 

 

Closed sus4 and open D & G sus guitar chords

The closed sus4 chord shapes are first followed by Dsus and G sus open guitar chords.

Favorite Chords: For the closed sus4 chords I prefer 1 (better than 2), 3 (but it’s hard), 5, 6, and 9. I prefer #’s 1, 2, 4 & 5 (difficult) of the Dsus4 chords and all but #3 for Gsus4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Try using boxes of the suspended scales for a different approach to soloing over suspended chords. Also, try and work in sus2 and sus4 chords into your songwriting. Also, consider sus4 and sus2 arpeggios as another option.

And of course, combine the two – go from a short suspended riff to a sus2 or sus4 chord, or vice versa. Also, take a look at my Chords from Scales article for insight into all the possible chords that can be built from various popular scales.

The post Suspended Scales, Sus Guitar Chords & The Major Pentatonic appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

I will cover how to build a suspended chord and the keys that have an E sus chord in them. I also have 16 Esus guitar chord shapes and 1 song example of an E sus chord.

E sus chord: notes & scales that build an Esus4 chord

The E sus chord contains the notes E, A, and B. Those notes exist in the major scale keys of C, G, D, A and E.

C major: C-D-E-F-G-A–B, E sus chord built on the 3rd (minor triad) of the scale

G major: G-A–B-C-D-E-F#, E sus chord built on the 6th (minor triad) of the scale

D major: D-E-F#-G-A–B-C#, E sus chord built on the 2nd (minor triad) of the scale

A major: A–B-C#-D-E-F#-G#, E sus chord built on the 5th (major triad) of the scale

E major: E-F#-G#-A–B-C#-D#, E sus chord built on the tonic or 1st (major triad)

The major scale can build a suspended chord on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, & 6th scale degrees (I-ii-iii-V-vi). You can not build a sus chord on the 4th and 7th scale degrees of the major scale The 4th scale degree has an augmented 4th while the 7th scale degree has a diminished 5th.

You can also build a suspended chord from the major \ minor pentatonic scales. For example, the D (DEF#AB) and A major (ABC#EF#) major pentatonic scales have the notes to build the E sus chord.

Other scales that build the chord are E and A harmonic & melodic minor, and D melodic minor.

What is a suspended chord (sus, sus4, sus2)

The textbook definition of a “suspension” is when a note from a previous chord carries over into the next chord, commonly replacing the 3rd of the chord with the perfect 4th. Check out the Wikipedia article on suspended chords for a more in-depth definition.

But in popular music, it just means replacing the 3rd of a major or minor triad with the perfect 4th of the chord root.

Sometimes you will see “sus4” which is the same as “sus”. The sus \ sus4 chord is built with a root note, the perfect 4th and fifth of that root note. The formula for a sus chord is:

1 – 4 – 5, or root note, perfect 4th and perfect 5th (1-P4-P5).

Check out my article on music intervals if you are unfamiliar with the terms 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

In case you see a sus2 chord, the “2” means the 3rd is replaced by the major 2nd (M2) of the chord root. Let’s look at an example:

E major triad = E – G# – B (1-3-5 or 1-M3-P5)
E minor triad = E – G – B (1-b3-5 or 1-m3-P5)
Esus chord = E – A – B (1-4-5 or 1-P4-P5)
Esus2 chord = E – F# – B (1-2-5 or 1-M2-P5)

So that is all a suspended chord is. The major or minor 3rd is replaced by a perfect 4th in the case of a sus \ sus4 chord or replaced by the major 2nd for a sus2 chord.

The chord then loses its major or minor sound until you release the suspension and return to the major or minor quality of the chord. By the way, I personally only use “sus”, never “sus4”. If you only see “sus” then it is implied to be a suspended chord with the perfect fourth

Chord Quiz: sus chord notes

Now that you know how to build a sus4 \ sus chord, name the notes in the following suspended chords:

1. A sus chord

2. G sus chord

3. Dsus chord

*Jump to answers at the bottom of the page to check your answers

How to use a sus4 chord and an example of an Esus chord in a song

Suspended chords have a sound that is often described as hollow, restless, unstable, open, or as having tension. As a result, you will rarely see a sus chord played for more than one measure in 4/4 time. I would guess half of a measure is the most common length that the chord is played.

It’s very common to play a major then add the 4th in place of the 3rd (suspended chord) then go back to the major again. You’ll often see a chord progression that alternates between the major triad and the sus chord,

I tried to find some examples of an E sus chord in all my songbooks but I couldn’t find any. A Google search didn’t help either. But I did remember a song that has an Esus chord in it”

“Jack Straw” by the Grateful Dead has an Esus chord in the intro and in other sections of the song. The song is in cut time (2/2) and the studio version opens with an E major chord for 1-1/2 measures followed by Esus for 1 beat of the second measure. That is repeated one more time then the verse begins.

The sus4 chord resolves best to its major triad, while a sus2 resolves smoothly to the major of either the root note or the 5th of the chord:

Esus => Emaj

Esus2 => Emaj or Bmaj

Use the E sus chord to add some variety where you have an E major chord for 2 or more measures. And remember that you can use an E sus chord in the major keys I mentioned above: C, G, D, A, & E major.

The Esus \ Esus4 guitar chord: 16 open, closed & bar chord voicings

I marked the fret #s for all the Esus chords which is most important for the closed and bar chord shapes. Take a look at my chord block notation chart to understand the chord blocks. I sometimes added the fret # on the left side of the chord block.

Note: My preferred closed E sus chord voicings are #’s 1, 5, 9, 10 & 11, and my fav open ones are #’s 1, 3 & 5.

 

 

 

Sus chord quiz answers

1. A sus chord = A-D-E

2. G sus chord = G-C-D

3. Dsus chord = D-G-A

* Go back to where you left off reading

Summary

An E sus chord, like all sus chords, adds variety to a chord progression where the E major triad is being played for 2 or more measures. Add the E sus2 chord along with the E sus chord for even more variety.

It’s called improvising. If you are writing a song, bounce between Emaj, Esus and Esus2 and see how it sounds.

“It’s your mind, it’s your creativity, it’s your guitar, and most importantly, it’s your music – do what you want to do (just make sure it sounds good)”. ~ quote by Kernix

The post E Sus Chord: Open, Closed & Bar Esus Guitar Chord Shapes appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.