Sus2, and the Elusive Mu

Greetings, Intermediate Pickers!

In a previous post from earlier May, I talked about suspended-fourth guitar chords--that is, a chord where you replace the 3rd of the chord triad/musical scale, with the 4th of the musical scale.  It's a technique used by most guitarists and mandolin players to make a standard major or minor chord a little more interesting, and add some forward movement to a chord progression. 

Today, I want to briefly talk about suspended-second chords, and the elusive "mu" chord popularized by the jazzy-rock group Steely Dan.

To understand what a suspended chord really is and how it operates, you have to know a little bit of music theory. A normal major chord consists of the root, 3rd and 5th notes of the major scale (1-3-5). If you take the A major scale for example: A,B,C#,D,E,F#,G#,A and you take the root (1st), 3rd and 5th note of that scale you get A,C#,E. 

The sus4 chord consists of the root, 4th and 5th notes of the major scale (1-4-5) = A,D,E. You can see that the sus4 chord (“sus” stands for “suspended”.) replaces the third with the fourth note.

The sus2 chord consists of the root, 2nd and 5th notes of the major scale (1-2-5) = A,B,E. The sus2 chord replaces the third with the second note.  By removing the 3rd in a chord, the chord becomes neither major nor minor, as the 3rd determines the happy major or "dark" minor sound. Therefore, suspended chords can be applied to both major and minor chords.

Here are some common fingerings for the guitar:

Finally, a quick word on the Steely Dan "Mu" chord, which is almost impossible to play on the guitar--but can be done!  Whereas a sus2 chord consists of the 1,2, and 5 of the musical scale, the "Mu Major" chord adds the 2nd note of the scale, but also keeps the 3rd in!  So, an "A Mu Major" would have A,B,C#,and E.  This is easily done on a piano--not so simple on a guitar without some serious pinky-stretching.  Here's one example of an A Mu Major:

So--have some fun trying these out, and don't be afraid to embellish the songs you already know with these alternate chords.  Happy Pickin!'

Here's a video, where I show some examples:
Video--Suspended Second Chords

To Scale, or Not To Scale?

As a music instructor of many years, I believe that learning to play musical scales is one of the most important building blocks that a guitar/bass student can have in their "wheelhouses."

Of course, learning to read music, play melodies, and play chords are all important, but scales really are the "alphabet" of everything you will ever learn to play on your instrument.

And they're not hard to learn either--just a few basic patterns up and down the neck of your guitar and bass.  One example is shown below (if you're a bass player, just ignore the two strings to the far right):

Here's why I think scales are important to learn:

1) Scales are the foundations to building both melodies and chords in a song; for example, when you see a guitar chord, and you know the scale from which it has been constructed, you can use that scale to improvise a solo, or compose a melody over that chord.

2) Playing scales helps you to concentrate on the physical motions of going from one note to the next, and to strengthen your fretting hand.  Actually, your picking hand benefits as well, as you further reinforce your knowledge of jumping between strings.

3) Along with #2, playing scales helps you to fine-tune your sound and tone on the guitar or bass.  Everyone has their own style and tone that is uniquely yours, and playing scales will help you to identify and strengthen yours.

4) For those students learning to play guitar solos, knowing some major scales, some pentatonic scales, and some modified-blues pentatonic scales will give you a HUGE palette from which to play your rockin' leads!

5) Finally, knowing how to play scales in many different positions up and down your instrument's fretboard will only serve to increase your overall musical knowledge and playing ability--and will make YOU the person that everybody wants in their band!

So, having said all that, have fun, and Happy Pickin'!  In the video below, I demonstrate a little scale technique, and talk about the reasons why it's so important.

The Importance of Scales

Timing is Everything!

I sense that most of my students hate to hear these dreaded words come from my mouth:  "OK, let's try that with the metronome."  And I get that--I never liked it either when MY teacher uttered those words!

But as a musician, having good timing when you play is one of the most important skills you can possess.  You might be able to play a fast, melodic run of notes, but if you can't stay in time with other musicians or a director, then all of your amazing talent is simply going to go to waste.

The metronome is a very simple device that just makes a clicking sound at given time intervals, usually measured in bpm's (beats per minute).  And they come in many different styles:  from battery-powered electronic metronomes, to iPhone/iPad apps, to the antique metronome pictured above.  There are even free metronome websites online!

Typically for beginning students, , metronome clicks are set to correspond with quarter notes--but there are some great exercises you can do with other note types to help improve you "internal clock," which I will demonstrate in the video below.

Another great exercise you can do sometimes is to simply lay your instrument aside, and just tap your foot along with the clicks of the metronome.  This is a great way to also work on your "internal clock" so that when you do play with other musicians, you can tap your foot with the rhythm section, and stay in sync with the other musicians.

One final thought:  when you're working on a musical piece, start the metronome off at a SLOW tempo, and gradually work your way up to playing the piece at a faster tempo.  As I often say to my students, proper technique and good timing are MUCH more important than SPEED when you are learning an instrument.

So....timing really is everything.  Please watch the video linked below for a demonstration of some ways to practice along with a metronome.  Happy Pickin'!

Video Link--Timing is EVERYTHING

p.s I may have exceeded my 2-minutes on the video--but this is a SUPER-important topic!

Some Thoughts on the Bass Guitar

Since I don't want my bass guitar students to feel left out on this blog, I thought I might dedicate this post to them--and in the process, share some of my "philosophy" regarding the bass guitar.

But if you are a guitar "picker," you should really read this too, so that you understand your role compared to the bass player's role!

At it's very core, the bass player's main duty is to be the "glue" that helps to hold the bottom end of a song together.  While the guitar players, keyboards, and vocals generally provide the melody and chord structures, the bass player is the one who provides the "anchor" and "bridge" between these melodic instruments, and the beat of the drums.

In many ways, I find it helpful sometimes to think of the bass guitar as a percussion instrument that you can play notes on.

A few more tips that I hope you will find helpful:

1) Take lessons, and dedicate part of each day to practicing your scales, lessons, and playing along with recordings.  Relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy what you are doing.

2) Listen, listen, listen to what the drummer is doing on his kick, snare, and hi-hat--the two of you will really work together to set the pace, feel, and 'groove' of the song!  In many songs, you will follow the same rhythm as the drummer's kick drum pattern.

3) Where possible, play with other musicians.  I cannot overestimate the importance of spending time with other musicians who are learning as well. In the end, you will learn much from each other, and they will also help you to find your musical "voice."

4) Don't overplay!  As mentioned above, the bass player and drummer provide the strong foundation upon which the rest of the musical house is built!  Keep it simple, keep it solid!

5) Work with your teacher to learn chord structures, and the notes which make up chords.  You can use this knowledge to play interesting passing notes between chords, and to form super-cool chord inversions that will really make your part stand out.

That is my "in a nutshell" philosophy of bass playing--but of course, there is much more to be covered in a future post.  So in the meantime, keep up the good work, and be proud to provide a strong foundation that supports the entire song!

Watch the video below!

Thoughts and Tips for Bass Guitarists

Suspended Chords--A Mystery No More!

From the Who's "Pinball Wizard" to Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" you have all heard suspended chords before, but may not have known how to form and play them on the guitar.

These chords are often notated as "sus" chords in guitar chord charts, but there really is no mystery--a suspended chord creates a harmonic "tension" by swapping out the 3rd of the key/chord for the 4th of a key/chord.

Knowing that all major and minor chords are built upon a 1-3-5 triad (major third for a major chord, and flatted third for a minor chord), you simply swap out a fourth for a third.

In the video link below, I demonstrate this with a D major chord, where I replace the F# on the first string with a G played on the first string with my pinky.  The G is the fourth tone of the D major scale, and is the "suspension."

Of course, any major or minor chord can be suspended, but you do have to know a little bit about scales and chord structure.  A good guitar teacher (such as myself--ha!) would be happy to show you how to do this easily in your head.

There is also an animal called the suspended 2nd, made most famous by Steely Dan, which I will cover in a future video.

But in the meantime, give these "sus 4's" a shot--the tension they create in the music is wonderful, and keeps a song really rolling forward!

Happy Pickin'!

Video On Suspended Chords