add9 and sus: recolouring a major chord
Intermediate
Hear how one added or changed note transforms the colour of a C major chord: add9, sus4 and sus2.
Pattern
Transpose
Drag up/down over the instrument to zoom the range
Tablature
How to do it
- Play open C major. Then C add9: add the 9th (D) on string 2 (fret 3). It sounds bright and open.
- Now C sus4: swap the 3rd (E) for the 4th (F) — it sounds tense, "wanting to resolve". And C sus2: swap the 3rd for the 2nd (D) — it sounds clean and suspended.
- Always return to plain C major at the end to hear how the 3rd "resolves" the tension of the sus chords.
Tips
- Sus chords have no 3rd, so they are neither major nor minor: that is why they sound "open".
Metronome
Target tempo: 66 BPM (Range 40–112)
Metronome
66 BPM
Tuner
You are playing:
—-15c
+15c
-50c0+50c
Turn on the tuner to check your intonation while you practise (bends, vibrato…).