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Add and Sus chords.


Xerxes

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Posted

And add chord is a triad with an added note.

 

Ebadd2, typically written 'add9' ( 9 = 2 an octave higher). The notes of an Eb traid are Eb G Bb (a D# triad is kind of messy so I respelled it). The 2nd degree of the Eb scale is F, so the notes of Ebadd9 are Eb G Bb F

 

 

Sus chords replace the third of the chord with either the 2nd or the 4th scale degrees. A C major triad is spelled C E G, and a Csus4 would be spelled C F G. A Csus2 chord would be C D G.

Posted

They're just ways to create a different sound than simple major triads. You can replace any normal major triad with an add9 chord or a sus2 chord.

 

The sus4 chord works on the I and V chords in a major key, but not the IV chord, since the 4th note above the root of the IV chord is a #4 and not a natural 4.

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There are not only "pure" 4ths in a diatonic scales. There are 5 pure ones (C-F, D-A etc), a diminished one (B-F) and an augmented (F-B). The last one is the 4# case.

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Posted

For decades add9 has been used in pop music (commercial stuff like Elton John, Whitney Houston, religious pop etc) to fill out major chords. You know, the main chord of the tune (I) will be CDEG instead of CEG. (Typically on a rhodes sound, with the singer emoting with earnest squinting facial expressions...) It's so prevalent that I see it in studio charts as C2 not Cadd9... not that C2 is a correct term, but because people are in a hurry & it's quick to write.

 

Sus chords (sus4) have been used from Bach to rock, with the 4 often (but not always) resolving to 3: Csus (CFG) then C major (CEG). I'm old enough that I first really noticed them on the Who's "Pinball Wizard." In jazz, Gm7 with C in bass is a common slightly fuller version of Csus.

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Posted

In some songs, where a major chord is typically repeated, I like to bounce back and forth between the major and the sus4 instead (to get that feeling of alternating tension and resolution). For example, the Beatles "Eight Days a Week" hangs on a D chord for a while during the chorus. Instead of just sticking with the D, I'll alternate D w/ Dsus4. This, coupled with the swingy rhythm of the song, sounds really nice to my ears.

 

Incidentally, this song also features an add9 chord or two during the intro/outro, as I recall.

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