Using Sus4 Chords to Comp over Standards

by | Comping

Did you know that Sus4 chords are an integral harmonic element employed by modern jazz pianists when comping over a standard? But how about jazz guitarists? Well not so much, except for the newer generation of players. And if you’re not among them, hopefully this lesson will help change that!

In this video I explain the theory behind the use of Sus4 chords, and especially how guitarists can adapt voicings employed by pianists such as Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner into their playing. Believe it or not, most are easier to play on guitar than on piano!

Last but not least, I demonstrate how I use them over several known standards. This is crucial to understand, because Sus4 chords actually come in different “flavors” depending on what context you want to apply them in!

PDF & AUDIO DOWNLOAD:

The “Using Sus4 Chords to Comp over Standards” lesson files, can be downloaded for $9.00. The download includes the following files:  PDFs with both regular notation and detailed TAB featuring 9 Sus4 variations in II-V-Is, theory of Sus4 reharm explained, Leadsheets of 5 standards with Sus4 reharm, MP3s and Band in a Box files, as well as a Midi file you can import into Guitar-Pro or the free downloadable notation app: “Muse Score”.

For those that don’t use PayPal…when you click the button below, it will give you the option to pay with any major credit card without the need to sign up for PayPal.  Note that you must be logged in for the payment and download links to be visible!

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1 Comment

  1. Greg Brown

    An excellent lesson, thanks for sharing!

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