Sus chords guitar theory pdf

During the 1970s and early 80s, phillips was director of popular music at warner bros. In the cases there we only have a letter, such as c, it is a common major chord. If you want to know how to get there, click here to check out our pdf guide, how to play guitar. The oolimo chord finder and analyzer is a professional tool for people who not only want to look up a few chords quickly. Learn how to construct chords in any part of the fretboard with our mega tutorial on chord music theory. You hear the asus2 and asus4 chords used in the song brass in pocket by the pretenders. Date the entries and keep track of your progress as you move forward in your guitar journey. Essential music theory for guitarists how to read guitar tab tablature, or tab, is a system of musical notation that focuses on where you place your fingers, rather than the actual musical pitches. Learn guitar chords with these easy step by elmore music. But we didnt talk about the application of this kind of chord yet, because a theory base for this was needed. Music theory guitar lesson what are sus or suspended chords. Sus is shorthand for suspended and it refers to the 4th which is said to be suspended in the chord. Remember that the chords on this chart also represent all the variables of each. Our free guitar chords library will show you the fingering and voicing variations of over chords, all of which you can use freely in songs later on.

We have used sus voicings in many of the jazz standard tutorials and ive received some requests to do a dedicated lesson on this type of chord. He has a practical, handson approach to teaching, with a focus on the guitar fretboard and emphasis on popular. These chord shapes correspond to the common chords c, a, g, e and d, hence the systems name. Sus chords can be used either as a coolsounding chords in their own right or as ornamental chords that you might use to embellish a simple chord progression. Its made for those who really want to understand the harmonic relations to achieve the highest possible freedom on the guitars fretboard. For a full list of charts and other resources, check out the musician tuts resources page. Use these instructional materials to help open up guitar avenues and to examine different chords and rhythms, lead guitar techniques, learning the fretboard, music theory,scales, and the world of playing over chord changes. We will begin with a common shape of suspended chord. Sus4 chords drop the 3rd interval and replace it with the 4th a process known as suspending, which is why its called a sus chord. Recommended books etc on music theory go here for links to other music theory sites.

For information on how to play sus 7 chords, be sure to check out the sus 7 arpeggio page here. A sus chords for piano sus4 and sus2 with keyboard diagram. Suspended chords the suspended chord is another one of those chord types that attracts some confusion. This guitar lesson with diagrams and charts explains what are sus4 chords. Sus chords an essential guide national guitar academy. Learn basic music theory for guitar and master the fretboard with ease. Welcome to a short introduction of the theory behind chords. Suspended chords occur when the 3rd has been replaced with a perfect 4th 4 or major 2nd 2. Hello friends, and welcome back to swiftlessons for another. There are lots of possibilities, but two cell structures seem very well suited to the sus chord over c7sus try playing.

As a beginner guitarist, this is not that relevant, but as you advance in your guitar studies, you will want to do more than just play chords, youll want to. My latest book focuses mostly on the things that are really worth knowing, not so much on the rest. Learning chords is one thing, but playing them in the context of chord progressions turn the baren chords into music. Sus 7 chords learn jazz guitar terence wright guitar. We can be a bit less rigorous and say that a chord, on the guitar, is created when you play some frets on different strings at the same time, thus more notes that play together.

Through learning guitar chords theory, you will be able to understand how chords on the guitar are constructed, and thus have a better understanding of guitar theory in general as a beginner guitarist, this is not that relevant, but as you advance in your guitar studies, you will want to do more than just play chords, youll want to understand why your favorite songs sound the way they do. Ive spent a lot of time refining and condensing this course so you only learn what you really need to know. Music theory for guitar introduction olav torvunds guitar pages music theory book of the month january 2005 happy traum. You can see that the sus4 chord sus stands for suspended. When you do see these chords come up, you want to be able to have more options than the misguided advice of avoiding the third or relying on some sort of pentatonic concept. This second way is the most common way to use them so the best way to play them is with their parent chords both major and minor. This lesson will show you how to play suspended chords on guitar and offer some tried and tested ideas for using them in your songwriting. More theory if you want it in practical music theory. The caged system is based on the recognition that although there are many major chords on the neck of the guitar, there are really only. Then, we need to add this extension, creating the chord g7sus49b. Spend some time getting to know their sound and function. This is the opposite of playing a scale, in which you play one fret at a time.

Jun 02, 2015 learn the theory behind sus or suspended chords with a handy visual aid. You can simply go through them in the order you find them below or just pick something that you are interested in learning and go from there. Even if youre already familiar with sus chords, you may find some fresh sounds and ideas for using them in your. Here are some free pdfs used to supplement my free video lessons. Guitar theory is an area of study that explains how you can play, improvise, and compose popular music on the guitar fretboard and why certain elements of music go together the way they do. The minor chord consists of the root, flat 3rd and 5th notes of the major scale 1b35 and becomes cebg. Using sus chords to spice up your chord progressions.

Ive posted a pdf with charts and more at my patreon. Working through this book will allow you to accomplish two things. How to play suspended guitar chords guitar alliance. David taub here and i just wanted to take a second to thank you for purchasing our instructional product. Bar 2 shows you the notes of a csus4 chord which, remember, uses the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale c, f and g.

These are not lessons, but supplements to my lessons. Besides the standard sus4sus2 names, the annotation c4, d4, e4 and so forth can occur and often together with c3, d3, e3 and so forth meaning a sequence from sus to major. First of all, youll see the notes of the c major scale. The 16 most important guitar chords approachable music. How to play and apply sus2 and sus4 chords guitarhabits. This lesson in the acoustic rock basics series teaches you the fundamentals of applying simple embellishments to chords you already know. Dec 05, 2014 suspended chords have the tendency to resolve. Learn the easy open sus chords you can use to embellish your chords. Thats why sus chords are often played in combination with their parent chord. The lack of a minor or a major third in the chord creates an open sound, while the dissonance between the fourth and fifth or second and root. Sus chords explained piano chord guide with pictures and theory. Browse all chords with our online guitar chord dictionary. If youre serious about playing guitar, you should have a look at one of the best guitar courses available today. Unt sus jazz chords above roman numerals and figures below cadences labeled non chord tones labeled key identified.

The fingering that i show you for the a chord way back in the early lessons is great when youre starting to learn your chord changes, but sometimes that fingering. The suspended chord is another one of those chord types that attracts some confusion. What do you specifically need to do in order to play guitar better. Sus4 chords suspended fourth guitar shapes and voicings. Heres where the sus chords comes in the sus4 chord consists of the root, 4th and 5th notes of the major scale 145 c f g. Take your knowledge to the next level with more lessons on jazz guitar chords. Suspended chords play a prominant role in shaping harmony in all forms of music. I am presenting you with all the major and minor chord voicings for the most part that can be played. Caged system guitar chords guitar music theory by desi serna. In these chords, the third the second note in the chord are being replaced with either a major second an interval consisting of two semitones or a perfect four an interval consisting of five semitones. The four and fifth in a sus4 chord creates tension and so does the second and root in a sus2 chord. A suspended chord or sus chord is a musical chord in which the major or minor third is omitted, replaced usually with either a perfect fourth play help info or a major second play help info, although the fourth is far. Now its time for me to show you basic, everyday, music theory and how it applies to the guitar.

Now that we are in advanced levels, we will see the most common cases where these chords appear. How and when to use sus chords in a song or chord progression basically, anytime you have a major chord that gets played for several beats, you can use the sus notes to embellish on the otherwise static chord and you make it sound like it is moving around, without actually changing the chord s function. Although tablature is the most popular way to read music these days, the ability to at least understand basic music theory and how to read music the old fashion way is not a bad idea for any bass guitar player. Youve probably heard of guitar tab on the interwebs, but.

Download theory supplements, midi files, chord changes and full notefornote transcriptions of every lesson. Sus chords, short for suspended chords, are chords in which the third is omitted and replaced with usually either the second or the fourth. Now that youve got enough sus chords for any occasion, feel free to use them in your arrangements of the songs that youre learning. Chord voicings guitar alliance guitar lessons guitar. Also the difference between a sus2 and an add9 chord, the ultimate in how to play suspended chords on guitar. This means suspended chords are neither major nor minor, as the 3rd is responsible for making a chord major or minor. You could get supplementary knowledge by reading what is a guitar chord for more indepth reading, see. When there is a choice of which chord member to double, use the most stable tone present.

My name is henry olsen, and ive been teaching guitar for eight years. In the first case, the note is flattened and in the second case it is raised. Keep accurate records in your practice log of the items you are working on, what needs work, chord changes, progressions, songs, original material, scales, etc. In episode 44 of the guitar music theory podcast, i explain what sus2 and sus4 chords are and how they get used in familiar songs. Suspended abbreviated as sus chords refer to any chord that does not contain a major or minor 3rd. Guitar chords chart for beginners free pdf download. The classic music theory says that a chord is a sound composed of 3 or more notes played simultaneously.

C e f g and bb c d f these make great raw material for building melodic phrases. Through learning guitar chords theory, you will be able to understand how chords on the guitar are constructed, and thus have a better understanding of guitar theory in general. A suspended chord or sus chord is a musical chord in which the major or minor third is omitted, replaced usually with either a perfect fourth or a major second although the fourth is far more common. The lack of a minor or a major third in the chord creates an open sound, while the dissonance between the fourth and fifth or second and root creates tension. Youtube how to really play bar chords a beginner guitar tutorial duration. Articles on every guitar chord type maj, min, sus, dim, aug,7b5, and how chords are built from scales. As exercises, mainly because many of the chord voicings you see below may not be familiar to you. Ive taught thousands of students online and oneonone, and have a 4. Therefore, the chord that will replace this dm7b5 also needs to have ab the g7sus4 used before doesnt have this note. Another way to think about forming suspended chords is by using half steps. How to form suspended chords on piano sus4 and sus2 chords. In traditional theory, suspension is a term used when a chord tone is held over from a previously played chord and then resolved to the third of the new chord.

The open strings of a guitar correspond to certain notes on a keyboard. Publications, where he edited and arranged the songbooks of. This free ebook contains the charts to the mostoften used guitar chords. Youll improve your song accompaniment technique by learning how artists like the eagles and tom petty add texture and movement to iconic rock songs by using sus and add chords. Hailed as a musictheory expert by rolling stone magazine, guitarist desi serna is a music instructor and author who has written several books including fretboard theory, guitar theory for dummies, and guitar picking mechanics.

On this site, you find lots of other chords like sus chords and slash chords. Chords are generally made up of three notes, called a root, 3rd and 5th. Visit the website and click on the answer that best describes you. I think you will find that our teaching methods here at next level guitar are of the best available on the market today. Now, if you arent familiar yet with the major scale and how a guitar chord is created from that, i would recommend reading my beginner guitar. Use my search bar to find exactly what youre looking for. Music theory can be complicated but we need to know it if we want to make sense of everything and improve our guitar knowledge and playing. For more resources on guitar chords and songs, have a look at the related tutorials below. Focus on one string group and one chord type at a time. This series of guitar chord theory lessons will give you a crash course in how chords are constructed.

Essential music theory for guitarists chainsawguitartuition. Start making sense of chords, scales, modes and finding the key to help you be more creative on the guitar. The pdf file linked below contains tablature and traditional music notation that details how to play suspended chords for a, b, c, d, e, f, and g. Sus chords have a very open sound and as a result, create a wide variety of harmonic possibilities for the improviser. Check out my free video lessons on my free lessons page. Music theory quick facts sheet th in simple intervals v 5 partwriting rules. So, aside from being fully aware of the music theory associated to this chord, youll need to have a good familiarity with several chord voicings on the neck, and its also good to have the. Sus chords sus stands for suspension and what happens in these chords are that the third the second note are being replaced with either a major second an interval consisting of two semitones or a perfect four an interval consisting of five semitones. Now, if you arent familiar yet with the major scale and how a guitar chord is created from that, i would recommend reading my beginner guitar chords guide.

Anytime you replace a major chord s 3rd with either a 2nd or 4th, you make a sus2 or sus4 chord. Basic music theory reading music for bass avcss guitar world. Major chords minor chords seventh chords extended chords sus chords dim chords aug chords add chords altered chords. You can also tune your guitar to a keyboard or piano. A sus4 guitar chord chart and fingering a suspended 4. Music theory for guitar suspended chords sus, sus2, sus4 duration. Many of them werent to me, which is the main reason ive included this topic of discussion here while were still in the early phases of the course. Usually, when sus is not followed by a number, sus4 is implied. Sus chords piano chord guide with pictures and theory. Here you will find all the free ebooks and courses offered for free on this website. The following guitar sus chord chart displays all of the chord diagrams above along with the added sharp note and 7sus4 chords. The very basics relating mostly to bass playing will be covered here. The dominant 7 chord only happens once per key so once we see a dominant 7 we have a big clue what root note its going to next the root note could be. A suspended chord abbreviated sus on music sheets and tabsis a musical chord which is a variation on the major or minor triads.

These free music theory lessons are designed to go along with all the scale and chordchord progression lessons you can find on this site. You will learn how a chord is built and what separates different groups of chords. If youd like to learn more about chord theory, heres guitar chords in context, an excellent guitar specific primer on what all those chords are doing together. Sus2 or sus4 april 19, 2012 september 23, 2015 musictheory 0 comments a suspended chord, or sus chord, is a chord in which the third has been displaced by either of its dissonant neighbouring notes, forming intervals of a major second or more commonly, a perfect fourth with the root.