My chord counting system is a quick and easy way to define and play one of the most basic of all piano chords: the Suspended 4th Triad. I show you how in the quick video below.
There are two types of suspended triads: Suspended 4th and Suspended 2nd. The Suspended 4th is the most common, so common in fact, that many musicians refer to a Suspended 4th triad as simply a “sus” chord. A suspended 4th triad can also be referred to as a “sus4” chord. The sus2 is covered in the next post.
Here are the three steps to defining and playing a sus4 triad:
- Hold down any note. This will be the “root” note of the triad.
- While holding down the root note, count up 5 half-steps.
- While holding down both notes, count up 2 half-steps from the 2nd note.
- Play all three notes simultaneously and you have a Sus4 Triad (named after the root note. For example, if the first note you held down is a D note, then the resulting sus4 triad is called D Sus4 Triad, or D Suspended Triad, or simply a D Sus.
Remember this phrase: “Root–5–2,” the counting scheme for creating a minor triad.
