# Chord Spelling Questions



## tdc

My questions are more in reference to jazz chord spelling, but the following is a fairly common chord, if the root is taken to be D, how would you spell this chord?

Low to high: D-F#-G-E

I realize it could be something like an inverted Emin9, but if the root seems to be D would one call it something like a Dadd9(4)? 

Why is it so rare to see chords with 2's or 4's in the spelling used in Real Books? Its almost always 9's, 11's etc. Yet it seems like many chords use 2's and 4's.

Next question, I've come across some chords spelled like this: G9sus4 -3, what does the -3 mean?

Finally, in real books often times a chord is spelled with a sus at the end but nothing more specific, for example A7 sus. Are we to assume the sus note is the 4? The 2? Or what?


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## Taggart

tdc said:


> Why is it so rare to see chords with 2's or 4's in the spelling used in Real Books? Its almost always 9's, 11's etc. Yet it seems like many chords use 2's and 4's.


You ever tried to play an 11?  Chords use 2s and 4s because they're easier to play than the harmonically equivalent 9s and 11s. When you get to real books on harmony (and orchestration) they put the chords vertically in proper order because you can either spread the chord across two hands or across several instruments and if you're score reading you need to recognise the patterns.



tdc said:


> Next question, I've come across some chords spelled like this: G9sus4 -3, what does the -3 mean?
> 
> Finally, in real books often times a chord is spelled with a sus at the end but nothing more specific, for example A7 sus. Are we to assume the sus note is the 4? The 2? Or what?


A G9sus4 chord has a perfect 4th rather than a third so a G9sus4 is G-C-D-A the 3 means that the chord resolves back to a standard G9 chord G-B-D-A. A normal sus chord is usually the 4th unless otherwise specified.


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## tdc

Taggart said:


> You ever tried to play an 11?  Chords use 2s and 4s because they're easier to play than the harmonically equivalent 9s and 11s.


I thought the function of spelling the chord with a 9 or 11 was to specify that the note is played more than an octave above the root. If the chords are played with 2's and 4's shouldn't those numbers be used instead of 9 or 11? I don't understand why the numbers 2 and 4 are so rarely used in the spelling of chords (I usually only see them in sus chords).


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## Taggart

You've really answered yourself. 2s and 4s are used for sus chords where you *don't* have a 3 and the 2 or 4 is used to suspend the harmony and either resolve to the 3 or modulate to a different key.

Where you *do *have a 3 and it's *not *a sus chord then even if you have a 2 or a 4 it's *not* a _proper _2 or 4 it's a convenient way of getting a 9 or 11 in without stretching your hand. So they spell the chord according to the *function *of the note not its actual position.


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## tdc

Taggart said:


> You've really answered yourself. 2s and 4s are used for sus chords where you *don't* have a 3 and the 2 or 4 is used to suspend the harmony and either resolve to the 3 or modulate to a different key.
> 
> Where you *do *have a 3 and it's *not *a sus chord then even if you have a 2 or a 4 it's *not* a _proper _2 or 4 it's a convenient way of getting a 9 or 11 in without stretching your hand. So they spell the chord according to the *function *of the note not its actual position.


That makes perfect sense, thank you.

Another question I just thought of for anyone, a flat 7 seems to be implied in 9 and 13 chords for example a C13 or C9 has a flat 7 in it, but a C6 I believe does not. Would a C11 have a flat 7 implied?


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## Taggart

Have a look at wiki.

A C major 11th wouldn't have a flat 7, but a minor would as would a dominant (key of F). So in practice, any 11th considered as a dominant would have a flat 7 just like any dominant 7th. Otherwise it's simply an extended chord. Similarly, since the 9 and 13 are also, basically, dominant chords they also imply a flat 7.

A 6 chord is simply an extended chord as is the 6/9 chord so they don't imply anything about the 7.


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## millionrainbows

tdc said:


> Finally, in real books often times a chord is spelled with a sus at the end but nothing more specific, for example A7 sus. Are we to assume the sus note is the 4? The 2? Or what?


I've often seen "A9 sus," which I found often times means a certain voicing which sounds more like an A bass with a G major triad on top, spelled A-G-B-D. A is root, G is b7, B is 9, and D is the suspended 4th. It has a contemporary sound, more modern sounding than a traditional suspended chord.


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## millionrainbows

tdc said:


> My questions are more in reference to jazz chord spelling, but the following is a fairly common chord, if the root is taken to be D, how would you spell this chord?
> 
> Low to high: D-F#-G-E


You've already spelled it, haven't you? If D is the root, it has no fifth. It doesn't make much sense as a chord to me.

Where did this come from? What is the source and context, if any?


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## tdc

millionrainbows said:


> You've already spelled it, haven't you? If D is the root, it has no fifth. It doesn't make much sense as a chord to me.
> 
> Where did this come from? What is the source and context, if any?


Lots of chords omit fifths. Play a C major in standard tuning on a guitar, move it up two frets and you have our mystery chord, it is pretty commonly used. Tabbed out it would look like this:

E-0
B-3
G-0
D-4
A-5
E-x

I'll bet you've come across this one before.


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