Stochelo sus7 change

Lango-Django

Apologies if this lick is old hat to you, but it was new to me. I just discovered it while transcribing Stochelo's "In a Sentimental Mood"... thanks, Stochelo!

It works anywhere on the fingerboard you want, but let's show it here as Csus7 to some kind of C7

Csus7 to C9
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------6---------------------------------------5----
-----------------7---------------------------------------7-----------
------------8--------------------------------------8-----------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----8------------------------------------8--------------------------

Csus7 to C7b9

----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------6---------------------------------------5----
------------------7---------------------------------------6----------
-------------8--------------------------------------8----------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----8--------------------------------------8------------------------

Csus7 to C13b9

-------------------------------------------------------------5---------
-----------------------6------------------------------5---------------
-----------------7-----------------------------6-----------------------
------------8----------------------------8-----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----8--------------------------8--------------------------------------

Csus7 to C13

-------------------------------------------------------------5---------
-----------------------6------------------------------5---------------
-----------------7-----------------------------7-----------------------
------------8----------------------------8-----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----8--------------------------8--------------------------------------

You can play it as chords or arps or whatever combination you like.

AmundLauritzen

That's a nice one! It can lead further to the C9#5 on the 4321 string set(Bb,E,G#,D - from the G to the high E string). This change is not only common in gypsy jazz, but in bebop and beyond.

To resolve it you can then go from that C9#5 to the common Django F6/9(C,F,A,D,G,C from low E to high E string).

To put it in a complete II-V-I, precede the C7sus with Root position Gm7 and Am7 chords on the 6432 string sets(very common minor7 chords used in GJ rhythm guitar).

After that F6/9, do a standard VI7, II, V7 and you have a complete intro!

The C7sus change you posted can alone be used as an intro. Works very well if the bassist plays a pedal bass on the 2 and 4. I don't think this is very common in gypsy jazz, but it's worth a shot! It never hurts to be adventurous

Just throwing out some ideas on how to integrate that change into other ideas. I believe that is an important part of practicing: taking new knowledge into context.

Thanks for sharing!

Passacaglia

It's stuff like this that makes me crawl back into my rhythm hole, and stay there, though without regret as I deeply love rhythm. I have no idea how you guys have this kind of knowledge in your minds, much less your fingers.

Lango-Django

Paul, with all due respect, buddy, you are over-dramatizing this. It ain't brain surgery, and you can certainly do it and understand it.

I'm guessing the problem may be that you haven't yet encountered the sus7 chord in your musical travels?

It's just a V7 chord with its third raised up a half step to the fourth, and 99.9% of the time it resolves right back to the seventh chord from whence it came... a sort of musical cousin to the ii7 chord that resolves to its V7 neighbour. It has a sort of "delaying the inevitable" sound.

Play around with this voicing, which I believe is the most commonly used one on the guitar, and you'll quickly recognize its sound from a zillion jazz and/or pop tunes, and easily incorporate it into your rhythm playing... this fingering works at pretty much any fret you want.


Csus7 to C7

---x---------------------x-------------------
---1---------------------1--------------------
---3---------------------3--------------------
---3---------------------2--------------------
---x---------------------x--------------------
---3---------------------3--------------------

There are lots of other fingerings, too, but I won't overwhelm you with them all.

A good tune to fool around with would be "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"... you'll quickly get on to it... warning: it's a cool sound in moderation but can be annoying if you overdo it.

Try it, you'll like it!

Will

PS I think the sus7 chord is also known as an 11th chord... but if I'm wrong about that, I'm sure Jay will chime in!

Passacaglia

Paul, with all due respect, buddy, you are over-dramatizing this.

Ha! Undoubtedly. What can I say? I used to get paid to die on stage, or talk about once more unto the breach, and all that crap.

On the sus7, no, not so much, and thanks for going into it a bit. I do a lot of 7alt/7+/b9/b13 voicings, usually as accent instead of a straight 7th, or what I'm heading to.

I think more, it's the general sense you guys seem to have, of what works over what, and I admire your ability to go through all kinds of solutions. A friend wrote to me 1/2 hour or so ago, seeing this thread, and mentioned that just getting some solos under my fingers (working on it), just hearing the stuff, and all the ways things can work, it will start to come through.

I know that's true - and likely better, hear it and just start to know in the bones the various things that sound good. I'm just constantly at war with a sense of time, mortality and...damn, I've a long way to go. Constantly need to bring it back to here, now.

Thanks, Will. I know theory can't make me a better player, but even just the interest bug has bitten me to some extent - got a book Jay recommended coming.

Jazzaferri

Will ...LOL....an four note eleventh chord would definitely have the third as likely the only reason a writer would use an 11 chord is to give the player a pretty clear idea of how the sus chord is to sound.

. Usually the 11 chord is a sharp 11. Which in guitar world could eadily end up sounding like X7b5

Bones

I hear you Paul, I do a lot better if I hear it in context and memorize it than if I try to think about why it works due to my lack of musical training.