Harmony - Chords and Their Symbols Pt.1
(23 Apr 04)
Sus Chords
Sus chords - When the 3rd is omitted and replaced by a 4th the triad gets called a sus or sus4 chord as in Csus or Csus4. Sometimes rather than the 4th replacing the 3rd, the 2nd replaces it. This chord gets called a sus2 chord. Sus refers to either a suspension of the 4th above the 3rd or of the 2nd below the 3rd of the chord.
These are the most common 5th string root voicings for the sus4 and sus2 chords used in a fairly common chord progression:
Points to remember about sus chords:
Sus indicates that something has happened to the 3rd. It has either been replaced by the 4th or the 2nd (although these days the 3rd sometimes gets included in the voicing).
The chord symbol sus without a 4 or 2 after it is referring to the 4th and not the 2nd. You don't need to write sus4 at all, just plain sus will do. If you mean sus2, you have to write it that way. Remember: sus by itself means sus4.
The sus2 chord is a great replacement for a plain old major chord. While the suspended 4th in the sus4 chord tends to beg for resolution, the suspended 2nd in the sus2 chord, being a whole step below the 3rd, does not. The lack of the 3rd kind of neuters the chord giving it an interesting, ambiguous, slightly modern quality.
Since the symbol sus is indicating that one of the 3rds neighbors has replaced it, there can be no other suspensions other than the 4th and 2nd. There is no such chord as a sus5, sus6 or sus7 chord.
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7th Chords
Four note chords - 7th chords are also easy read and write, especially if they have no alterations. Cmaj7, Cmin7, C7, Cdim7, Cmin(maj7) and C7sus are all standard 7th chords. If the 5th is altered in the chord, you have to write it that way in the chord symbol: Cmaj7#5, Cmin7b5, C7#5 or C7b5. Below are the theoretical voicings, you can place the chord tones in any order or octave that you want:
Don't be deceived - 7th chords seem simple by nature, after all, there are only four notes, but if you use your head a little and rearrange the four notes you'll be surprised with what you can come up with. Both the chords below are simple Cmaj7 chords but the voicings are exquisite:
 
Voicing: 3,5,7,1 Voicing: 5,7,1,3
Coming up with your own voicings - As there are four notes in a 7th chord, you can technically make twenty-four different voicings (at least according to my mathematical skills). Use the chart below to come up with your own voicings.
I tried every one myself and I'm pleased to inform you that they can technically all be played although some sound better than others. You can skip strings, use open strings, play the notes in any octave, and double notes if you want.
When you get done with the maj7 voicings, go on to all the other 7th chords. Try playing the following voicings left to right, Ex: 1357 - 3571 - 5713 - 7135. Now why do you think I would want you to do that?
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