What does sus mean in musical terms?

What does sus mean in musical terms?

suspended
Common in popular music are “sus” chords, with “sus” being a shortening of “suspended,” a term we will study in the chapter on non-chord tones. 🔗 The two basic sus chords are the sus4 and sus2 chords. In the sus4 chord (also labeled simply as “sus”), a perfect 4th replaces the 3rd of the chord.

What makes a chord a sus?

So, what is a “sus chord?” Sus chords are major or minor chords where the 3rd of the chord is replaced by the 4th. Jazz players think of this as a ii chord over the root of the V, such as G-7/C.

What is SUS 2 guitar?

Sus means suspended – what we are suspending here is the third of the chord, so a sus2 or sus4 chord is essentially a chord with “something else” instead of the third, which leads to it being less stable and not defined as major or minor. This “something else” can be the second or the fourth.

What does sus 4 mean in guitar?

sus4: A sus4 chord replaces the 1+3+5 pattern with 1+4+5, meaning the third note is replaced by the fourth. If, for example, the tab says you need to play a Dsus4 chord, instead of playing D+F#+A (=1+3+5) you raise the middle note or the third note by a half step. So a Dsus4 chord is D+G+A (=1+4+5).

What key is sus chord?

A jazz sus chord or 9sus4 chord is a dominant ninth chord with a suspended fourth, typically appearing on the dominant 5th degree of a major key. Functionally, it can be written as V9sus4. For example, the jazz sus chord built on C, written as C9sus4 has pitches C–F–G–B♭–D.

Are sus chords dominant?

Understanding Sus Chords. Most of us know the definition of a sus chord: it is a dominant chord whose major third is replaced by the perfect fourth a half step higher.

What do sus chords sound like?

The sus chord sound is described as open-sounding, hungry for resolution, and mildly dissonant. In triads and chords, the third note is an important chord tone. The third helps us determine if a chord is major or minor. Suspended chords replace it with a non-chord tone (2nd or 4th).

Why is a chord called suspended?

The term is borrowed from the contrapuntal technique of suspension, where a note from a previous chord is carried over to the next chord, and then resolved down to the third or tonic, suspending a note from the previous chord.

Is sus a major or minor?

Notes in the chord! A sus chord is a major chord where certain notes are left out and replaced with others. By making this slight adjustment, the chord becomes something new. Let’s start by reviewing how a major chord is built.

How do you voice a sus chord?

A sus chord is a “two chord” over the root of its corresponding “five chord”. That is to say, D7/G = G7sus. Any voicing for a minor seventh chord is a voicing for a sus chord a perfect fifth lower.

What are sus guitar chords?

A sus chord is a major chord where certain notes are left out and replaced with others. By making this slight adjustment, the chord becomes something new.

What does a sus chord sound like?

What Does a Sus Chord Sound Like? The sus chord sound is described as open-sounding, hungry for resolution, and mildly dissonant. In triads and chords, the third note is an important chord tone. The third helps us determine if a chord is major or minor.