Sus Chords Pt 2: Advanced Suspended Variations

This is the second part of my series on suspended chords. If you haven't already, check out Part 1 first for the fundamentals.

In this lesson, we explore more advanced suspended chord concepts including add11 chords, Maj7sus4, and the subtle but important differences between 4ths and 11ths.

4ths vs 11ths: Are They the Same?

I'm not picky between 4ths and 11ths, while many music teachers and composers are. As a guitarist, sometimes you literally can't hit an 11th because your fingers aren't long enough, and you have to play it an octave lower as a 4th.

Voicings do matter though. While it's helpful to think of 4ths and 11ths as being the same thing, it's worth noting that sometimes the addition of the 11th versus the 4th will provide a much more "clear" and "vivid" voicing. When the 4th is added instead of the 11th, harsh dissonances can occur due to the small distance between our 4th and our 3rd or 5th.

The same applies to 2nds and 9ths — I consider them to be the same, even though they're technically different. The dissonances that occur in a minAdd2, for example, are very practical and usable. In my experience, the clashing between the 2nd and minor 3rd of a minAdd2 chord is absolutely lovely in the correct context.

Chord Names Have Limits

Don't forget that chord names are limited! They only tell you the notes of the chord but often do not tell you much about the order those notes must be played. If voicings are crucial to your compositions, use standard notation or tab instead of just chord symbols.

Understanding Maj7sus4

When we see a Maj7sus4 chord, what we're most likely seeing is a dominant 7th chord being played without a 5th and instead being played over its 4th degree.

For example, a Cmaj7sus4 contains the notes C, F, G, and B. This resolves very well back to a regular C major. It almost sounds like a V-I progression, except the bass note is static.

The notes G, B, and F are the root, third, and flat 7 of a G7 chord. The fifth (D) isn't present, but it's not necessary to create "dominant tension" to lead us back home to C. Therefore, a lot of the time when you see "Cmaj7sus4", it's most likely functioning as a G7 and could probably be written as G7/C (no 5th) for more clarity.

What About Sus#4?

I said in the video that Sus#4 is not a real name, because in my understanding of traditional theory, a suspended chord must include a natural second or fourth.

I believe the "correct" name for a Dsus#4 is actually just Dadd#4 (no 3rd) or Dadd#11 (no 3rd). Those are horrible names in my opinion, and language can evolve!

Learn More

For more on chord construction and extended harmonies, check out Chapter 8: Sus Chords and Chapter 19: More Suspended Chords in the Chord Progression Codex.