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January 5, 2006

Chords I have known

Diagram: Asus2 chord JGuitar has some neat tools like the chord search and chord calculator which let you find different chord variations. Pretty cool, considering I’m often utterly clueless as to what I’m playing.

On the right is one of my favorites, the suspended 2nd (specifically, Asus2). I use suspended 2nd chords all over the place, usually when I want something more majestic-sounding than a wimpy major chord. The opening chords to Have We Learned? and Gravel Road Requiem have lots and lots of suspended 2nds.

What makes a chord a sus2 is a very good question that probably deserves a better answer than the one I’m about to provide, especially since I had to look it up on Google. Imagine a major scale: do re mi fa so la ti do. A typical major chord would be: do mi so, built from the first, third and fifth notes in the scale.

So a suspended 2nd chord substitutes the third note with the second note in the scale. So a suspended 2nd would be do re so. Or in the case of the diagram over there: do so do re so (strumming from left to right).

Although personally I just like to call it the chord that goes bwwwwommm!

Howard Wright has a cool quick reference chart that shows how chords are built.

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And G did speak thusly:

That Asus2 gets even bwwwwommmier if you go ahead and put the E on the bottom, too. It’s almost like getting two power chords (an E and an A) at the same time. I’m pretty sure Anthrax’s “Be All, End All” opens by moving a bunch of those around.

And thanks for the JGuitar stuff — that chord calculator rules.
And scottandrew did speak thusly:

“State Of Euphoria” rules.
And G did speak thusly:

Yup. It’s def. the best of the Belladonna albums, but I’ll always have a special place in my heart for “Efilnikufesin” and “Caught in a Mosh” (which latter you should hear Grum Lee “perform” — it’s better than Cats!)
And scottmo did speak thusly:

I love the Asus2 chord! I discovered it while noodling around many years ago and never really knew it had a name. I just thought it was a cool variation on A, with a soulful sound that’s not quite as melancholy as a minor. Nice to put a name to the sound!
And Dean did speak thusly:

Notes A, B, and E instead of A, C#, and E, for the keyboardists out there. The beauty behind sus2, as well as sus4s is that – since the third note in the scale defines minor or major – the SUSPENDED chords are “ambiguous.” You don’t really have to choose minor or major. Both sus chords work unless the bass player forces the third for a “slash” chord. Indeed, a wonderfully useful chord, as is Bsus2 (easier to play than Bmajor on guitar as well)!! Happy New Year, Scott – rock on!
And Howard did speak thusly:

Just to say my website has moved to a new domain, so the guitar chord page referenced in the article now lives at:

http://www.hakwright.co.uk/music/quick_crd_ref.html