Q. I'm a pianist trying to read notations for guitar chords. Chords like Asus2, Asus2/F#, Dsus2, Bmadd11, are totally puzzling to me. What do "sus", "add" mean? Is there any website I can go to, to find out these things?
A. The abbreviation, sus, means sustain; that is, place emphasis on that particular note needing to be sustained. In example, Csus4 simply directs the player to press down the F note directly above Middle C (on the guitar) because F is the fourth note on the diatonic scale of C. (It's the F note found in the first space of the treble clef.) (Another note: Middle C on the guitar is one full octave below that of the piano's Middle C, hence my statement of the F note being in the first space of the treble clef.)
The Asus2/F# chord tells us to play a B note (the sustained 2nd note) with an A chord, but also include its natural sixth note (F#) as the bass.
The chord, Bm add 11 simply means to add the 11th note of the Bm scale, which is the note of E to your chord formation.
Here is a striking chord that could be played just before playing a D major: Dsus2#5. Simply play a D, a Bb, another D, and an E.
Note: Look for those small, quick incidental notes on the grand staff; they should be those sustained notes or added notes to the chord mentioned.
Note: I stand corrected by Left-T. Such a note described as "sus" means 'suspension' as my music dictionary describes. It is a term used in harmony to describe a note in a chord that is held while another note that forms a discord with it is sounded. I had termed such a note as sustained because it always rings out in discord with the formed chord.
Whats with all the different guitar notes i only asked for one and on the web it gave me like 10 kinds of B's!
Q. i mean they are all B's not B# or B naturals or Bm7 (whatever that is?) and by the way wat is Bm7 y is it like that! HOW IS THE PIANO SO EASY TO LEARN AND THE GUITAR ISN'T!
A. The guitar is know to be one of the most difficult instruments to learn to play. It sounds like you need to get yourself a Chord Dictionary. Most music stores/book stores offer this valuable book. Also, there are many sites that offer free instructions. I've been told, that if you can read piano music,
then learning to read guitar notations, tabliture, and various other aspects of learning the guitar, then you're ahead of the game. Those of us who have never been exposed to piano, had a more difficult time learning the same information. For what it is worth, it you can learn which chords work together, most music we have today, only require three chords to play an entire song. The chords noted on most sheet music, are usually out of our normal vocal range, and sometimes it is difficult to make the piece work, by reading and playing by notes/chords. If you can learn which chords work best with other chords, you can substitute any chord group, and play the music, by changing the "Key", i.e. Key of C, Key of A, and so on. Most of the accomplished guitarists, can't read a single note, but can hammer out some of the best music you've ever heard. That's called playing by ear. I am one of those people, who picked up a Mel Bay guitar book, and tried to follow the instructions without success. l finally took lessons, and found that there were "tricks" to the craft. I'm not accomplished yet, I'll probably never sit in front of an auddiance, but I enjoy my time with my guitar. At least at this point, I recognize what I'm trying to play, even if no one else can. Anyway, good luck, and have fun. Maybe some day I'll get to purchase a CD, with your name on it.
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Title : How to read guitar chord names?
Description : Q. I'm a pianist trying to read notations for guitar chords. Chords like Asus2, Asus2/F#, Dsus2, Bmadd11, are totally puzzling to me. ...