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intermediatetheory
Chord Embellishments
Add sus2, sus4, and add9 colors to basic chords.
Objective
Add sus2, sus4, and add9 variations to G, D, and A chords and use them to create movement within a single harmony.
Concepts
- ▸Suspended chords replace the 3rd with another interval. Sus2 replaces 3rd with 2nd. Sus4 replaces 3rd with 4th.
- ▸Without a 3rd, suspended chords are neither major nor minor — they sound ambiguous, modern, floating.
- ▸Add9 chord: adds the 9th (same as 2nd, but one octave up) to a major chord WITHOUT removing the 3rd.
- ▸Add9 sounds fuller and richer than a plain major chord — used heavily in pop and singer-songwriter music.
- ▸Embellishments create movement: strum Dsus4 → D → Dsus2 → D while holding the same chord shape — the chord evolves.
- ▸Famous uses: "Every Breath You Take" (Sting) uses sus4 heavily. Dsus2 is in countless country and pop songs.
Diagram / Notation
D Major family: D Dsus2 Dsus4 Dadd9 e --2-- e --0-- e --3-- e --0-- B --3-- B --3-- B --3-- B --3-- G --2-- G --2-- G --2-- G --2-- D --0-- D --0-- D --0-- D --0-- Gsus2: Asus2: Asus4: e --3-- e --0-- e --0-- B --3-- B --0-- B --3-- G --0-- G --2-- G --2-- D --0-- D --2-- D --2-- A --2-- A --0-- A --0-- E --3-- E --x-- E --x--
Exercises
1.Dsus4 → D → Dsus2
- 1.The only change is the first finger lifting and returning.
- 2.Dsus4: index on string 1 fret 3. D: index on string 2 fret 3. Dsus2: remove index entirely.
- 3.Strum each once and listen to the tension (sus4) → resolution (D) → openness (sus2).
- 4.Loop this slowly — it is one of the most pleasing movements in pop guitar.
2.Embellishment in context
- 1.Play G–D–Em–C progression.
- 2.On the D chord, add: Dsus4 (2 beats) → D (2 beats) instead of holding D for 4 beats.
- 3.On the G chord, try Gsus2 for 2 beats before landing on G.
- 4.These tiny movements make a 4-chord progression sound more interesting.
3.Write using embellishments
- 1.Loop Asus2 for 4 bars. Notice how it implies A major but also has a folk/open quality.
- 2.Follow with Dsus2 for 4 bars, then E (no embellishment) for resolution.
- 3.You have just written a chord progression with emotional arc using only one shape.
Tips
- 💡Sus chords want to resolve — they are dissonant. Let them move into the resolved major or minor chord.
- 💡Add9 does not need to resolve — it just sounds richer than plain major.
- 💡These are not separate chords to memorize — they are modifications of shapes you already know.
- 💡Listen to The Police, Ed Sheeran, and John Mayer for constant use of sus and add9 embellishments.