Give me a sus2 break

Back in the day…

I remember when things used to be very straightforward. There were standard agreements that applied in the music world. Let me list a few of them:

The 7

The 7 is a determinator. The rule is clear: If there is a 2 in the chord and there is also a 7 (minor or major), that 2 is always a 9. It doesn’t matter whether the 2 is on top or hidden somewhere in the chord. Because: chord names aren’t about position, they are about presence.

The 9

It works the other way around too. If a chord is named a 9 (natural or diminished), there has to be a 7 in it.

The 11

For the 11, it’s not much different. An 11 means that both a 7 and a 9 must be present in the chord. It is generally accepted that the 5 is left out of the chord. For example, a C11 is also noted as Bb/C (7-9-11 over C). Be aware that in the 11 chord, the 3 is absent.

What if there’s no 9?

If there is no 9 in the chord, things change! We then enter a chord that has a 4 (sus4) and a 7. Together: 7sus4. Pay attention: this chord is fundamentally different from an 11. Train yourself to hear the difference in notes and in sound.

The 2

There are a number of chords built around the 2, which can be a bit confusing. But fortunately, there are clear agreements about them.

Add2

When the 2 is added to the 1-3-5 triad, we call it an add2. The 2 is simply added.

Add9?

The name add9 was created because musicians wanted to indicate that the 2 should be played at the top of the chord. But chords are not about positions, they are about presence! So, add9 doesn’t really exist. Besides, a 9 implies the presence of a 7.

Just the 2

A few decades ago, it became very popular to avoid the 3 in a chord. This made it unclear whether the chord was minor or major. This was already common practice with power chords (1 & 5). However, because power chords felt very rocky, the idea was widely adopted to add a 2 to the 1 & 5. This became a 2 chord. So a C2 is C-D-G, meaning without a 3. With a 3, it would have been an add2.

sus2?

Until a few years ago, people started calling this chord a sus2. Why? Didn’t we already have a clear name for it? It’s also confusing because there is no suspension involved at all. This 2 chord has no intention of resolving. There were plenty of songs being played where the 2 stayed put throughout the entire song.

Shall we just agree to call this chord a 2 again? It’s clear enough! So….

Please give me a sus2 break