Uploaded February 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Chord extensions are notes added to a chord that are in the scale or key, but are not a normal chord tone (1,3,5). Extensions are also called color tones.
Example: 'C' Major
C D E F G A B C
The 1,3,5, and 7 are chord tones. C, E, G, and B. The 2,4, and 6 are extensions or color tones.
There are 7 tones in the Major Scale, 8 being the octave. If we continued the scale into the second octave, after 8 comes 9 (2), 10 (3), 11 (4), 12 (5), 13 (6)...
So we get the following...
1) C
2/9) D
3) E
4/11) F
5) G
6/13) A
7) B
We will get into forming 9, 11, and 6/13 chords, but this lesson will focus on sus2 and sus4. Sus is short for suspended.
To form a sus2 chord, add a major 2nd from the root. The way to achieve that is by moving the major 3rd down to the major 2nd.
C = C E G
Move the E down to D and you have Csus2.
Dsus2, move F# down to E
Asus2, move C# down to B
Fsus2, move A down to G
To form a Sus4 chord, add the 4th note from the root. Achieve this by moving the major 3rd up to the 4th.
C = C E G
Move E up to F and you have Csus4.
Dsus4, move F# up G
Asus4, move C# up to D
Fsus4, move A up to Bb
Songs with sus2 and sus4 include Free Fallin' by Tom Petty, Blame it on Me by George Ezra, intro to Tangled Up In Blue by Bob Dylan, The Way You Do The Things You Do by The Temptations.
Chord extensions are notes added to a chord that are in the scale or key, but are not a normal chord tone (1,3,5). Extensions are also called color tones.
Example: 'C' Major
C D E F G A B C
The 1,3,5, and 7 are chord tones. C, E, G, and B. The 2,4, and 6 are extensions or color tones.
There are 7 tones in the Major Scale, 8 being the octave. If we continued the scale into the second octave, after 8 comes 9 (2), 10 (3), 11 (4), 12 (5), 13 (6)...
So we get the following...
1) C
2/9) D
3) E
4/11) F
5) G
6/13) A
7) B
We will get into forming 9, 11, and 6/13 chords, but this lesson will focus on sus2 and sus4. Sus is short for suspended.
To form a sus2 chord, add a major 2nd from the root. The way to achieve that is by moving the major 3rd down to the major 2nd.
C = C E G
Move the E down to D and you have Csus2.
Dsus2, move F# down to E
Asus2, move C# down to B
Fsus2, move A down to G
To form a Sus4 chord, add the 4th note from the root. Achieve this by moving the major 3rd up to the 4th.
C = C E G
Move E up to F and you have Csus4.
Dsus4, move F# up G
Asus4, move C# up to D
Fsus4, move A up to Bb
Songs with sus2 and sus4 include Free Fallin' by Tom Petty, Blame it on Me by George Ezra, intro to Tangled Up In Blue by Bob Dylan, The Way You Do The Things You Do by The Temptations.
