When do you use...

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Permalink Reply by Jimmy Nylund on June 24, 2009 at 6:10pm

I'm sorry that i cant give you a particulary good answer but my english typing is just way to bad for the level of this discussion.

I'll just going to give some thoughts of my own.

Asus4 is a great way to switch to a D major in a "majestic" way. Try it yourself.
Play G-major, A-major, Asus4 and D-major. The sus4 will help with building up to the D-chord i a kind of "grand finale way".

The 7's makes chords sound bluesy or Jazzie. Try it yourself. Play a clean E-Major and add the 7 (second string, third fret) with your pinky on every other bar. You can almost instantly feel the blues-groove.

Add9's i'll leave to someone with more musical theory skills. But in my experience add9 chords sound grand and interesting when used i the right place. Try playig a G-Major and adding the 9th (3rd string, 2nd fret i believe). It's warm and rainbowie =D

Exactly when to use the chords i cannot honestly tell you. I think you have to experiment and try them in different combinations. Often you'll have to think of the chordcolorings as spices. Use them wisely and they'll lift your sound up a notch. Use them to much and it will just be some kind of orgy of to-much-spice.

/Jimmy

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Permalink Reply by Ben on June 28, 2009 at 10:10am

Here's my rules. If it it souds good it's good.


PS there are no rules in playing guitar or any other instruuments.

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Permalink Reply by Lord Vasago on July 7, 2009 at 7:23pm

Thanks for the replies so far. Sorry haven't replied sooner but work been keeping me busier than i would like. Think i need to get a book on theory and read through it. Once i get into something i get to the point where i have to know "Why" and "How" it works.

Thanks again :-)

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Wayne Brobeck on July 9, 2009 at 1:09am

A 7th is preceeded by a major. C to C7, D to D7, A to A7 etc. 7th can be used to accent a chord change. C to C7 to F. D to D7 to A. A to A7 to D etc. 7th are used in playing the Blues in place of a major. E7 to A7 to B7. or A7 to D7 to E7. Get the picture? Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits. Don't worry about the 9th unless you play Jazz or just want to impress yourself that you can do it and know where to stick it. I suspended a 4th one time and it never came down. Have fun learning the guitar and "All good things come in time."

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Permalink Reply by Larry on July 19, 2009 at 12:01am

A nice sounding chord progression with a 7th is F A7 D D7 which transposes to any key

Adding a 9 note to a major chord gives a cool Hendrix style sound--For example: play

a G barre chord and play the A (9) note on the 5th fret of the E 1st string. Play the

same fingering on a F chord G (9) and move up one fret to the F# and end up on the

G. This is a chromatic Chord run. as in Hendrix's The Wind Cries Mary.

The Sus 4 is like the intro to Queen's, Crazy Little Thing Called Love--Play a D major

chord and play the G note--3rd fret 1st string. Remove and do it again. Hope this

helps. Enjoy

Larry

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Permalink Reply by Lord Vasago on August 3, 2009 at 7:22pm

Interesting. Will have to look into this also. Thanks Larry.

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Permalink Reply by Trevor Gates on August 3, 2009 at 12:55pm

sus4, sus2, and add9 chords tend to give off a more mystical, wide-interval feel. I use to break out of the box with simple chord progressions to make it stand out

A real cool progression I use is : Amadd9, Bsus2, Esus2, E/C7, G

instead of just a simple Am, Bm, E, C7, G progression

those sus chords and add9 chords adds more flavor to a composition

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Permalink Reply by Lord Vasago on August 3, 2009 at 7:21pm

Cool! That sounds kinda like the direction i would like to go with my playing. Thanks alot for the info.

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Permalink Reply by Bradley Walker on March 6, 2010 at 11:12pm

blues for the 7th's, and sometimes the add9th's. sus4's and add9 are worship and general songs you can even use them to play some of sweet home alabama. Everything depends on the sound you want the song to have and how simple you want the chords in the song to be.

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