How To Build 7sus4 Chords, Learn How to Build and Play 7sus4 Chords Options

[The Professor]

How to Build 7Sus4 Chords

In today’s theory lesson we’ll be looking at how you build 7Sus4 chords, as well as 8 commonly used fingerings for these chords that you can take into the practice and bring into your playing and songwriting.

The 7sus4 chord comes from the mixolydian mode, as it uses the 1st, 4th, 5th and b7th notes of the mixolydian mode in it’s construction.

Here is how you would build a C7sus4 chord from the C mixolydian mode.

Notice how the numbers of the C mixolydian mode are used to spell the numbers of the C7sus4 chord, 1-4-5-b7, as this is the interval pattern needed to build any 7sus4 chord, regardless of key.






So, the 7sus4 chord is built by taking the Root, 4th, 5th and b7th of the related Mixolydian Mode.

Test Your Theory Knowledge

To help get this formula under your fingers and into your theory chops, you can write out all 12 different 7sus4 chords, such as C F G Bb for C7sus4, and post them in the comments section of this thread.

I’ll be glad to check your work and help with any questions you have regarding this lesson on building 7sus4 chords.

7sus4 Chord Shapes

To keep things practical as well as theoretical, here are 8 different shapes for C7sus4 that you can take into your guitar playing.

Each of these shapes is commonly used and if you have even a few of them under your fingers will allow you to easily bring these sounds into your playing regardless of the style or musical situation.






Check out 7sus4 chords from both a construction and practical application.

These chords will pop up from time to time, or a lot if you play blues, jazz or fusion, and so it’s a good idea to have a mental and physical understanding of these common chords.

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This post has been edited by The Professor: May 18 2013, 10:09 AM

[Cosmin Lupu]

Hehe now - name the chords derived after harmonizing the F major scale and replace the numbers representing the scale steps in the mixolydian progressions with the actual chords so that you may get the C mixolydian progressions.

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[jstcrsn]

Hehe now - name the chords derived after harmonizing the F major scale and replace the numbers representing the scale steps in the mixolydian progressions with the actual chords so that you may get the C mixolydian progressions.

1 c7sus4
2 d minor
3 e dim
4 f major
5 g minor
6 A minor
7 Bflat major

this answer feels so wrong,

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This post has been edited by jstcrsn: Mar 4 2014, 01:48 PM

[Cosmin Lupu]

1 c7sus4
2 d minor
3 e dim
4 f major
5 g minor
6 A minor
7 Bflat major

this answer feels so wrong,

The chords are correct Now, can you tell me how they would fit in the progressions I suggested? Because this is where you need to get to, in order to use that chord in an actual context

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[jstcrsn]

The chords are correct Now, can you tell me how they would fit in the progressions I suggested? Because this is where you need to get to, in order to use that chord in an actual context

c7sus4-b flat dim
c7sus4- a minor -f major - g minor - b flat dim- c7sus4
c7sus4 - f major - c7sus4 - b flat dim - c7sus4
c7sus4 - d minor - f major - b flat dim - c7sus4
is this what you are after

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This post has been edited by jstcrsn: Mar 5 2014, 01:32 PM

[Cosmin Lupu]

c7sus4-b flat dim
c7sus4- a minor -f major - g minor - b flat dim- c7sus4
c7sus4 - f major - c7sus4 - b flat dim - c7sus4
c7sus4 - d minor - f major - b flat dim - c7sus4
is this what you are after

Hehe - let's take example number one:

V VII - C7sus4 Bb dim you stated earlier that Bb is major in the harmonizing of the mode - why is it diminished now?

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This post has been edited by Cosmin Lupu: Mar 6 2014, 08:20 AM

[jstcrsn]

Hehe - let's take example number one:

V VII - C7sus4 Bb dim you stated earlier that Bb is major in the harmonizing of the mode - why is it diminished now?

cause you are thoroughly confusing me with all this theory junk
Brain fart- thinking the vii is dim and we are if the key of C
when in fact were in F major relative to C mixo making the E dim and would make Bb major

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