D to Dsus: Is this acceptable?

agent0064life · #1 January 29th, 2007

Well, I have found a way to switch from D to Dsus without having to do a whole lot but I just wanted to know how many other peole do this. What I do is keep the normal D grip and just add my pinky to the third fret of the high E while my middle finger stays on the second fret. It's just much easier to back and forth between D and Dsus that way for songs like Free Fallin' and the likes. Will this hinder my guitar playing in the future or is this all right.

EDIT: Turns out it wasn't Dsus but the fret pattern is 3320xx. Not sure of the name of the chord as I couldn't find it when I went looking for it. The one web site I went to had it wrong...

Kirk Lorange · #2 January 29th, 2007

That's how to do it!

... or at least one of the ways.

Nate5 · #3 January 29th, 2007

Thats what I do... and for dsus 2 you can just take away your ring finger. Although, im pretty new at guitar, so i dunno. I think its pretty cool that you can just go Dsus4-D-Dsus2 so fast with just your pinkey and ring finger in the regular positon.

Fretsource · #4 January 29th, 2007

No problem. That's the most common way to do it. It makes sense to do it that way because the chord following Dsus is almost always D again anyway.

Lcjones · #5 January 29th, 2007

Agent64

Well done! Completely appropriate.

The 'Case Of The Pinky' is now in your hand. And your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to anchor the Pinky to the third fret and chord, not only a G but a C as well.

Enjoy

**
Les

agent0064life · #6 January 29th, 2007

Woo I got it right!!! I just remembered I heard you need the pinky for chord embelishing.... maybe that is one of the embelishments you guys were talking about?

Lcjones · #7 January 29th, 2007

Tricks of the trade.

**

Fretsource · #8 January 29th, 2007

Agent - I've just seen your edit. That chord IS D sus (AKA D sus4).
By the way, write it the opposite way. XX0233

agent0064life · #9 January 29th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretsource

Agent - I've just seen your edit. That chord IS D sus (AKA D sus4).
By the way, write it the opposite way. XX0233

Ahh, thanks. I just couldn't find it I guess.

6string · #10 January 29th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretsource

Agent - I've just seen your edit. That chord IS D sus (AKA D sus4).
By the way, write it the opposite way. XX0233

or as some people call it "D add Pinky"

carol m · #11 January 30th, 2007

I see why xx0233 is a Sus4 (because G is 4 up from D) but why is it called Sus when it is up from D, not down (I'm thinking Sus = suspended and therefore down - don't laugh)?

Also does lifting the ring finger to make xx203 really make a Dsus2 like Nate says(XXDABG)?
Or does he mean xx0202 which would be DABF# which = B is 6 up from D. Doesn't that make it a Dsus6?

And why, if moving up one fret from open B to a C to make the chord (xx0212) it's called a D7 (C is 7 up from D) and not a Dsus7 if you are applying the same rules that you are using to describe Dsus/Dsus4 (xx0233)?

And why is it so hot today I can't think straight?

alan_gregory · #12 January 30th, 2007

As I understand it, a sus chord means you suspend the third and replace it with something else. So in a Dsus4 chord, you lose the third and replace it with a fourth: D G A. The common fingering xx0233 gives you two Ds for extra flavour. A Dsus2 would be D E A, or xx0230.

I can't resist this:

Your stairway lies on the whispering wind ... Dsus2 D Dsus4 etc

Sorry.

A sus chord is a triad, i.e. it has three notes.

A 6th chord is extended, i.e. it has four notes 1 3 5 6. So D6 is D F# A B, usually fingered xx0202. It's not a sus anything, because you're still including the third.

A seventh chord is also extended and has the formula 1 3 5 b7. So D7 is D F# A C, commonly fingered xx0212.

Too hot? You're in the wrong (?) hemisphere. It's about 8 degrees outside here.

carol m · #13 January 30th, 2007

Thanks Alan, that's a great explanation. It's evening here now and a lot cooler so the brain is working a bit better. I notice the (?) when referring to hemispheres, and I assume that means you agree with me - that it's you that's in the 'wrong' one........and for that you have my heartfelt sympathy

Fretsource · #14 January 30th, 2007

Suspended chords are named from an old classical technique of holding back (suspending) one of the notes from a previous chord during a chord change. For example, if you had a G major chord played as 320003 (GBDGBG) followed by D major played as 0232 (DADF#) BUT you didn't immediately change the first string note G but rather, let it hang on (suspend) after the chord had changed to D you'd have a 'not-quite-complete' D chord with a note still belonging to the previous chord. That's a suspended chord.

--3---(3)--2
--0----3---3
--0----2---2
--0----0---0
--2---------
--3---------

The middle chord's high note is in brackets to show that it hasn't been played but is still sounding from the previous G chord. That's why they were called suspended. As it's a fourth above the D it then resolves down to where it was meant to be in the first place, i.e. the third (F#). It produced an unexpected effect, like a kind of 'pleasant surprise'.
Nowadays - that fourth doesn't need to be held over from the previous chord - it just appears in place of the third, but the name has stuck, and it has become a chord in its own right. But although it has three notes, it's not a triad as it isn't made from thirds.

6string · #15 January 30th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretsource

Suspended chords are named from an old classical technique of holding back (suspending) one of the notes from a previous chord during a chord change. For example, if you had a G major chord played as 320003 (GBDGBG) followed by D major played as 0232 (DADF#) BUT you didn't immediately change the first string note G but rather, let it hang on (suspend) after the chord had changed to D you'd have a 'not-quite-complete' D chord with a note still belonging to the previous chord. That's a suspended chord.

--3---(3)--2
--0----3---3
--0----2---2
--0----0---0
--2---------
--3---------

The middle chord's high note is in brackets to show that it hasn't been played but is still sounding from the previous G chord. That's why they were called suspended. As it's a fourth above the D it then resolves down to where it was meant to be in the first place, i.e. the third (F#). It produced an unexpected effect, like a kind of 'pleasant surprise'.
Nowadays - that fourth doesn't need to be held over from the previous chord - it just appears in place of the third, but the name has stuck, and it has become a chord in its own right. But although it has three notes, it's not a triad as it isn't made from thirds.

Very interesting