You can use the variations that I’ll show you in this lesson to substitute the common open C chord. These chords can add color to your progressions- perfect for when you need to add a little spice. Use them sparingly, though! You don’t want to much of a good thing. Overuse can dull their impact.
We’ll learn Csus2, Csus4, Cmaj7, and C6.
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4: Just Another C Chord
Fig. 5: C Suspended 2nd (C sus2)
Fig. 6: C Major 7th
A major seventh chord refers to where the “seventh” note is a major seventh above the root (a fifth above the third note). This is more precisely known as the major/major seventh chord, and it can be written as maj7, M7.
Fig. 7: C6
In modern popular music, a sixth chord is any triad with an added sixth above the root.
Fig. 8: C Suspended 4th
When we add the 4th scale step we get what is called a suspended 4th chord, or C sus4. This adds dissonance and wants to resolve back to a C chord.
Fig. 9: C sus2
Just another C suspended 2nd chord.
