What is a G sus chord? How to play one; and the notes
in a sustained chord.
thanks,
Nick
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What is a G sus chord? How to play one; and the notes
in a sustained chord.
thanks,
Nick
G7sus 4 mando simple: 0031 [piano, GCDF] ~o) (used a book I had and the internet)
There are two kinds of basic suspended (not "sustained") chord:
Suspended 2, which in the case of a G chord would be GAD instead of GBD
and
Suspended 4, which in the case of G would be GCD instead of GBD.
As you can see, a suspended chord substitutes the 2nd or the 4th for the 3rd of a chord. The resulting chord is neither major (GBD) nor minor (GBbD) ... it leaves the listener "suspended", you could say, unsure what the basic mood of the chord is.
There are extended versions of sus chords, made up of the basic sus triad plus extensions. So for example G7 sus 4 would be GCDF.
The suspended 4 is much more common than sus 2, so usually if you see a chord written simply as Gsus, it's a sus 4 chord. If it's a sus 2, that will usually be written out (Gsus2).
Usually means suspending above the 3rd, that is sus 4. (This feels unresolved, which is why it is called a suspension. It "wants" to relax to the regular chord.)
On mandolin I would tend to use 0-5-3-3 or 7-5-3-3, or to highlight the supension, drop the high note on the E string and let the C be the high note, as in 0-5-3-x or 7-5-3-x.
The D (the 5th in the chord) is less important than the suspension note, the C, so one doesn't miss it if you like the low G for a bass note.
0033.
Thanks everyone, re: the G sus chord. I will use two down in the 3 fret area.
Nick
Suspended chords are lovely. To get one sense of how they're used, listen to pinball wizard by the who. Crazy little thing called love by queen opens with them and honky Toni women by the rollin stones uses them a lot.
Or... Honky Tonk Women...
Although on the mandolin it is easier to omit the 3rd you do not have to for a sus 4 chord. Originally, sus 4 chords were used when a chord with the 4th was in the previous chord and the 4th was held over (suspended) in the harmony of the next chord. Although that is still the case sometimes, frequently the 4th isn't really suspended but added making it a +4 chord.