Suspended chord
A chord in which the third is replaced by the second or the fourth, removing its major or minor quality.
Because the third is the note that tells the ear whether a chord is major or minor, replacing it leaves the chord hanging between the two, which is what gives suspended chords their open, unresolved sound. The suspended fourth often resolves down to the third, and that movement is one of the most recognisable gestures in pop and rock, particularly in the introduction of countless songs on acoustic guitar. On guitar the shapes are usually simpler than the major or minor chords they replace.
Example: A chord containing a root, fourth and fifth but no third is a suspended fourth chord.
See also
Related
- PageChord
- PageTriad
- PageDiatonic
- PageAugmented chord
- PageBlue note
- PageBlues scale
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley