Suspended chord

Last updated
suspended fourth chord
Component intervals from root
perfect fifth
perfect fourth
root
Tuning
6:8:9
Forte no.  / Complement
3-9 / 9-9
suspended second chord
Component intervals from root
perfect fifth
major second
root
Tuning
8:9:12
Forte no.  / Complement
3-9 / 9-9

A suspended chord (or sus chord) is a musical chord in which the (major or minor) third is omitted and replaced with a perfect fourth or a major second. [1] 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. When using popular-music symbols, they are indicated by the symbols "sus4" and "sus2". [2] For example, the suspended fourth and second chords built on C (C–E–G), written as Csus4 and Csus2, have pitches C–F-G and C–D-G, respectively.

Contents

Suspended chord

Suspended fourth and second chords can be represented by the integer notation {0, 5, 7} and {0, 2, 7}, respectively.

Analysis

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. However, in modern usage the term concerns only the notes played at a given time – the suspended tone does not necessarily resolve and is not necessarily "prepared" (i.e., held over) from the prior chord. As such, after Csus4 (C–F–G), F may resolve to E (or E, in the case of C minor), but in rock and popular music the term indicates only the harmonic structure with no implications about what comes before or after, though preparation of the fourth still occurs about half the time and traditional resolution of the fourth occurs usually. [3] In modern jazz, a third can be added to the chord voicing, as long as it is above the fourth. [4] [ failed verification ]

Quintal first inversion of C , where the fourth is the bass note. Suspended fourth chord on C in first inversion.png
Quintal first inversion of C , where the fourth is the bass note.

Each suspended chord has two inversions. Suspended second chords are inversions of suspended fourth chords, and vice versa. For example, Gsus2 (G–A–D) is the first inversion of Dsus4 (D–G–A) which is the second inversion of Gsus2 (G–A–D). The sus2 and sus4 chords both have inversions that create quartal and quintal chords (A–D–G, G–D–A) with two stacked perfect fourths or perfect fifths.

Sevenths on suspended chords are "virtually always minor sevenths" (7sus4), while the 9sus4 chord is similar to an eleventh chord and may be notated as such. [3] For example, C9sus4 (C–F–G–B–D) may be notated C11 (C–G–B–D–F).

Jazz sus chord

A jazz sus chord [4] 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.

Suspended chord
Suspended chord
A close-voicing dominant ninth chord with suspended fourth (written as just "Gsus"), followed by the tonic major seventh chord. [4]

Compared to the otherwise similar dominant eleventh chord, the dominant 9sus4 chord generally doesn't include the third factor. It may be thought of as a slash chord: G9sus4 without the 5th (G–C–F–A) is equivalent to F/G (G–F–A–C). [4] [5] It may also be written Dm7/G, which shows the merging of ii7 and V7 functions in one chord. [4] [6] Although the suspended fourth is not always resolved down to a third, the note is still not usually notated as an eleventh because of the chord's function as a cadence point to the tonic.

It is also possible to have the third included in a sus chord, the third being generally voiced above the fourth (i.e. as a tenth) though this is not absolutely necessary. For example, a G9sus4 chord played on a piano could have its root note played with the left hand, and the notes (from the bottom up) C (suspended 4th), F, A, and B (the third) with the right hand. [7]

Red Garland's piano introduction to "Bye Bye Blackbird" on the Miles Davis album 'Round About Midnight features suspended 9th chords. [8] In his book Thinking in Jazz, Paul Berliner writes at length and in detail about how the improvisation unfolds from this opening. [9]

With the advent of modal jazz in the 1960s, suspended chords were to feature with increasing regularity. For example, they dominate the structure of Herbie Hancock's 1965 composition "Maiden Voyage". In his book, What to Listen For in Jazz, Barry Kernfeld cites Hancock's own explanation of how the harmony works: "You start with a 7th chord with the 11th on the bottom—a 7th chord with a suspended 4th—and then that chord moves up a minor third. ... It doesn't have any cadences; it just keeps moving around in a circle." [10] Kernfeld comments: "Thus in addition to a slow-paced harmonic rhythm, this composition features chords that individually and collectively avoid a strong sense of tonal function." Kernfeld admires the way that "Hancock's cleverly ambiguous chords intentionally obscure the identity" of a particular key. [10] Roger Scruton sees the jazz sus chord in "Maiden Voyage" as opening "a completely new harmonic perspective... as we come to understand sus chords on the tonic as supporting improvisations on the dominant." [11]

Suspended chords are commonly found in folk music and popular music. Ian MacDonald writes of the "heartbreaking suspensions" that characterise the harmony of "The Long and Winding Road" from the Beatles' final album Let It Be (1970). [12] MacDonald describes another Beatles song "Yes It Is" as having "rich and unusual harmonic motion" through its use of suspensions. [13] Joni Mitchell was perhaps one of the most prolific songwriters to make extensive use of multiple sus chords, explaining that "so much in my life was unresolved from 'when were they going to drop the big one?' to 'where is my daughter?' that I had to use unresolved chords to convey my unresolved questions". [14]

The instrumental opening to The Four Tops’ song "Reach Out I'll Be There" (1966) features an E chord containing a suspended fourth, resolved immediately by being followed by an E minor chord. [15] Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" in the arrangement performed by Dusty Springfield (1967) opens with a clearly audible Dm7 suspension. [16] Carole King's song "I Feel the Earth Move" from her album Tapestry (1971) features a striking B9sus4 chord at the end of the phrase "mellow as the month of May". [17] The last chord of the first bridge of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" is an unresolved suspended chord, [3] the introduction and chorus of Shocking Blue's "Venus" each contain an unresolved suspended chord, [3] and the introduction of Chicago's "Make Me Smile" has two different suspended chords without traditional resolution. The verses of Oasis’s Champagne Supernova (1996) is entirely based on an Asus2 chord. [3]

Examples in classical music

Examples of suspended chords can be found in the pieces below (usually in connection with pedal points).

The piano postlude to the song "Ich grolle nicht" from Robert Schumann's 1844 song cycle Dichterliebe .

Schumann, "Ich grolle nicht" concluding bars
Schumann "Ich grolle nicht" Schumann Ich grolle nicht concluding bars.png
Schumann "Ich grolle nicht"

The concluding bars of the Prelude to Wagner's final opera Parsifal (1882):

Wagner, Parsifal prelude concluding bars
Wagner, prelude to Parsifal, concluding bars Parsifal Prelude - end.png
Wagner, prelude to Parsifal, concluding bars

The first movement of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7:

Bruckner Symphony No. 7, first movement bars 103–109
Bruckner Symphony No. 7, first movement, bars 103-109 Bruckner 7, 1 bars 103-9, revised version.png
Bruckner Symphony No. 7, first movement, bars 103–109

See also

Related Research Articles

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A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a minor seventh. However, a variety of sevenths may be added to a variety of triads, resulting in many different types of seventh chords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chord (music)</span> Harmonic set of three or more notes

In music, a chord is a group of three or more notes played simultaneously, typically consisting of a root note, a third, and a fifth. Chords are the building blocks of harmony and form the harmonic foundation of a piece of music. They can be major, minor, diminished, augmented, or extended, depending on the intervals between the notes and their arrangement. Chords provide the harmonic support and coloration that accompany melodies and contribute to the overall sound and mood of a musical composition. For many practical and theoretical purposes, arpeggios and other types of broken chords may also be considered as chords in the right musical context.

In music theory, an augmented sixth chord contains the interval of an augmented sixth, usually above its bass tone. This chord has its origins in the Renaissance, was further developed in the Baroque, and became a distinctive part of the musical style of the Classical and Romantic periods.

The term sixth chord refers to two different kinds of chord, the first in classical music and the second in modern popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirteenth</span> Musical interval

In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The thirteenth is most commonly major or minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleventh chord</span>

In music theory, an eleventh chord is a chord that contains the tertian extension of the eleventh. Typically found in jazz, an eleventh chord also usually includes the seventh and ninth, and elements of the basic triad structure. Variants include the dominant eleventh (C11, C–E–G–B–D–F), minor eleventh (Cm11, C–E–G–B–D–F), and major eleventh chord (Cmaj11, C–E–G–B–D–F). Using an augmented eleventh produces the dominant sharp eleventh (C911, C–E–G–B–D–F) and major sharp eleventh (Cmaj911, C–E–G–B–D–F) chords.

In music theory, a ninth chord is a chord that encompasses the interval of a ninth when arranged in close position with the root in the bass.

The ninth chord and its inversions exist today, or at least they can exist. The pupil will easily find examples in the literature [such as Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht and Strauss's opera Salome]. It is not necessary to set up special laws for its treatment. If one wants to be careful, one will be able to use the laws that pertain to the seventh chords: that is, dissonances resolve by step downward, the root leaps a fourth upward.

In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord, is a seventh chord, composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. Thus it is a major triad together with a minor seventh, denoted by the letter name of the chord root and a superscript "7". In most cases, dominant seventh chord are built on the fifth degree of the major scale. An example is the dominant seventh chord built on G, written as G7, having pitches G–B–D–F:

In Classical music theory, a Neapolitan chord is a major chord built on the lowered (flatted) second (supertonic) scale degree. In Schenkerian analysis, it is known as a Phrygian II, since in minor scales the chord is built on the notes of the corresponding Phrygian mode.

The diminished seventh chord is a four-note chord composed of a root note, together with a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a diminished seventh above the root:. For example, the diminished seventh chord built on B, commonly written as Bo7, has pitches B-D-F-A:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chord substitution</span> Technique of using a chord in place of another in a progression of chords

In music theory, chord substitution is the technique of using a chord in place of another in a progression of chords, or a chord progression. Much of the European classical repertoire and the vast majority of blues, jazz and rock music songs are based on chord progressions. "A chord substitution occurs when a chord is replaced by another that is made to function like the original. Usually substituted chords possess two pitches in common with the triad that they are replacing."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tritone substitution</span> Music theory concept

The tritone substitution is a common chord substitution found in both jazz and classical music. Where jazz is concerned, it was the precursor to more complex substitution patterns like Coltrane changes. Tritone substitutions are sometimes used in improvisation—often to create tension during a solo. Though examples of the tritone substitution, known in the classical world as an augmented sixth chord, can be found extensively in classical music since the Renaissance period, they were not heard until much later in jazz by musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker in the 1940s, as well as Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge and Benny Goodman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slash chord</span> A chord whose bass note is indicated by a slash

In music, especially modern popular music, a slash chord or slashed chord, also compound chord, is a chord whose bass note or inversion is indicated by the addition of a slash and the letter of the bass note after the root note letter. It does not indicate "or". For example, a C major chord (C) in second inversion is written C/G or C/G bass, which reads "C slash G", "C over G" or "C over a G bass". Some chords may not otherwise be notated, such as A/A. Thus, a slash chord may also indicate the chord form or shape and an additional bass note.

In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord is a seventh chord composed of a root note, together with a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh. For example, the half-diminished seventh chord built on B, commonly written as Bm7(♭5), or Bø7, has pitches B-D-F-A:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turnaround (music)</span>

In jazz, a turnaround is a passage at the end of a section which leads to the next section. This next section is most often the repetition of the previous section or the entire piece or song.

In music theory, an inversion is a rearrangement of the top-to-bottom elements in an interval, a chord, a melody, or a group of contrapuntal lines of music. In each of these cases, "inversion" has a distinct but related meaning. The concept of inversion also plays an important role in musical set theory.

In music, harmonization is the chordal accompaniment to a line or melody: "Using chords and melodies together, making harmony by stacking scale tones as triads".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seventh (chord)</span> Musical chord

In music, the seventh factor of a chord is the note or pitch seven scale degrees above the root or tonal center. When the seventh is the bass note, or lowest note, of the expressed chord, the chord is in third inversion.

Musicians use various kinds of chord names and symbols in different Contexts Chord notation is a system used to represent chords in written music or chord charts. It typically consists of one or more letters representing the root note of the chord, along with additional symbols or letters indicating the chord quality, extensions, and alterations. For example, the chord notation "CMA J7" represents a C major seventh chord, while "Dm7b5" represents a D minor seventh flat five chord. Chord notation allows musicians to quickly understand and play various chords in a piece of music without having to read the full musical score. to represent musical chords. In most genres of popular music, including jazz, pop, and rock, a chord name and its corresponding symbol typically indicate one or more of the following:

  1. the root note,
  2. the chord quality,
  3. whether the chord is a triad, seventh chord, or an extended chord,
  4. any altered notes,
  5. any added tones, and
  6. the bass note if it is not the root.

References

  1. Ellis, Andy (October 2006). "EZ Street: Sus-Chord Mojo". Guitar Player.
  2. Benward & Saker (2003), p. 77.[ incomplete short citation ]
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis. p.  88. ISBN   978-0-300-09239-4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Humphries, Carl (2002). The Piano Handbook. p. 129. ISBN   0-87930-727-7.
  5. Buckingham, Bruce; Paschal, Eric (1997). Rhythm Guitar: The Complete Guide. p. 64. ISBN   978-0-7935-8184-9. "(A9sus4 = G/A)."
  6. Levine 1989 , p. 23: "Dm7/G describes the function of the sus chord, because a sus chord is like a ii–V progression contained in one chord. The ii–V progression in the key of C is Dm7, G7."
  7. Levine 1989 , p. 24: "A persistent myth about sus chords is that 'the fourth takes the place of the third.'"
  8. Sher, Chuck. (1991, p. 35). The New Real Book, Volume 2. Petaluma, Sher Music.
  9. Berliner, P. (1994, pp. 678–688), Thinking in Jazz. University of Chicago Press.
  10. 1 2 Kernfeld, B. (1995, p. 68) What to Listen For in Jazz. Yale University Press
  11. Scruton, R. (2009, p. 17) Understanding Music. London and New York, Continuum.
  12. MacDonald 1994, p. 341.
  13. MacDonald 1994, p. 147.
  14. Joni Mitchell interview, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2011[ full citation needed ]
  15. Holland, Dozier and Holland (1966), Jobete Music Co. Inc
  16. Bacharach, B. and David, H. (1967, p. 9) "The Look of Love" in Burt Bacharach Anthology(1989). Miami, Warner Brothers.
  17. King. C. (1971, p. 4) "I feel the earth move" in Tapestry. Milwaukee, Hal Leonard

Sources