I was looking at some sheet music and I was wondering what the difference between the chords C and Csus is. The fingering is the same.

asked 15 Jan '10, 16:27

Nick%20Bosanko's gravatar image

Nick Bosanko
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edited 15 Apr '10, 18:59

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Mark C
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A suspended chord like Csus has a third (E note) replaced by a fourth (F note). The fingering is not the same. Compare these two diagrams: http://jguitar.com/chordsearch?chordsearch=C&labels=letter (C chord) http://jguitar.com/chordsearch?chordsearch=Csus&labels=letter (Csus chord)

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answered 17 Jan '10, 05:05

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Jim Sweeney
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Jim is right; the simple answer is that the chord symbol Csus equals Csus4. This a default, just as C7 is technically ambiguous but everyone knows we mean Cmaj m7. Generally, "suspension" refers to "hanging" notes or chords that are waiting to be resolved (the 2nd [note] resolves to the tonic, the 4th to the 3rd).

See the WikiPedia article on "suspended chord" here and the related article on "suspension" here. Both articles include written music examples, but the verbal explanation may suffice.

Several answers discuss a similar question here: http://answers.jguitar.com/questions/209/suspended-chords

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answered 16 Apr '10, 08:10

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Mark C
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edited 10 May '10, 11:36

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Asked: 15 Jan '10, 16:27

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Last updated: 10 May '10, 11:36

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