Piano Improvisation - The SUS Chord

What is a SUS chord? What is all about G SUS? Instead of playing one, three and five G SUS is one, four and five. Very often you'll see that it say G SUS 4 indicating that you put the fourth in instead of the third. But unlike the major second chord where we can put the second and the third into the chord a G SUS you need to remove the third because otherwise you get this awful clash sound. G SUS tends to resolve into the third anyway.

What does SUS stand for? SUS stands for suspended because as you play this you are in a suspended state. You're in suspense of a G chord. So this chord here G SUS keeps you anticipating or you’re in suspense of the G chord.

SUS chords naturally occur in the 5th of the key. So if you were in the key of C the fifth of key is G. So when you're playing song in the key of C and you see a G chord come up even if it doesn’t say G SUS you can make it into a G SUS chord and perhaps resolve it this time. You can even resolve in G SUS, two G2 chord.


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