On Apr 25, 2005, at 11:58 AM, Jacki Barineau wrote:
Hi, Everyone...
I was wondering what the "rule" is as far as when to call a chord a
"suspended" chord or an "add X" chord. For example, a Gsus4 - meaning G in
the root, then C, then D... I have seen this same chord sometimes labelled
as a "GaddC" or "Gadd4". Is it only referred to as the "suspended 4th" (or
2nd or whatever the case may be) if the 4th is going to resolve to the 3rd?
I personally have always called this chord a Gsus4... But now I'm notating
for a client and want to make sure I have it right!
Yes, a Gsus4 chord has a C, but not a B, regardless of whether it actually resolves or not. For the sake of clarity, I think it is important to distinguish the Gsus4 (three notes) from the G7sus4 (four notes), though these two are frequently interchanged in popular repertoire. The 4th may resolve to the 3rd eventually, or not, but that distinction is no longer of any importance in chord symbol naming.
Some people call the first chord a Gsus, without specifying which note is actually suspended, because it is overwhelmingly the 3rd that is suspended from the 4th, but I don't agree with that nomenclature for reasons of clarity.
The GaddC or Gadd4 (I prefer the second) is a major triad with an added 4th. Definitely modern.
Another question is the "9th" chord vs. the "sus2" chord or "add2"... For
example, G9 - would be G-B-D-F-A. If the F is left out, I'm assuming that's
when you'd refer to is as a "Gsus2" instead? Or is Gadd2 or GaddA also
proper terminology? I would always call this a Gsus2...??
I don't like the symbol "sus2" because it is ambiguous; there is a question of what the 2 is suspended from, the root or the third. In other terms, is it a (from bottom up)
G-A-B-D
or a
G-A-D-G? Both types appear in standard repertoire.
It also implies that there is an unresolved note, which is not always the case with those kind of chords, as they don't always require resolution. But we are stuck with the legacy regardless, as I mentioned before.
I prefer the standard nomenclature, G(add9) (though G(add2) would be perfectly clear as well) for the G triad with an added A.
There seems a kind of a standardisation for the G-A-D-G stack in modern music. Rather than the standard G(add9omit3), which is rather unwieldy, particularly if your lead sheet is full of them, I often see simply G2. In my case, since I fear that G2 is far from an accepted, unambiguous standard, I make a note at the top of my chart "G2=G(add9omit3)" to clear up any misunderstanding.
I do the same thing for the "power chord", which in standard nomenclature is G(omit3), but I see all the time now G5, which is clear and simple.
Another similar example/question is the 6th chord. For example a C6
(C-E-G-A) - I've seen this called a C13 (since A is also the 13th!) - is
this correct - or only in certain situations - i.e., if the 7th, 9th, or
11th is also present?
No, C13 is not the same as C6. C6 has an added A, whereas C13 in addition to the A also DEFINITELY has at least a Bb, if not a D as well. It is understood in jazz chord nomenclature that there is no perfect 11th included in any chord that contains a major 3rd, so there is no F. You don't have to say so in the chord symbol (e.g., you don't write C13(omit11) because everyone knows to omit the 11 already.) That omission doesn't apply to MINOR 3rds, though, so Cm13 is spelled C-Eb-G-Bb-D-F-A and everyone is perfectly happy to have the F there. Most jazz musicians will omit a couple of the lower notes, though, in the interests of sonic transparency, but keep the 3rd and 7th as an absolute minimum.
Just trying to brush up on my music theory - it's been a while since I've
had to dig into this deeper stuff!
Thanks for any clarification of this!
We are happy to help (well, I am anyway!) There is so much misunderstanding surrounding chord symbols, not to mention lack of standardisation, that it is in everyone's best interest to keep things as clear and unambiguous as possible.
Christopher
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