The 13sus4 chord is one of my favorite chords in music and I want to show you its application in this lesson.
But before I show you all of that, let’s go ahead and review the 13sus4 chord.
A Short Note On The 13sus4 Chord
The 13sus4 chord is actually a dominant thirteenth chord with a suspended fourth. So, instead of calling it a dominant thirteenth chord, it’s simply called the thirteenth chord.
If you take the basic C dominant seventh chord:
…and add its ninth (D), eleventh (F), and thirteenth (A):
D:
F:
A:
…you have the C dom13 or C13 chord:
When we replace the third tone of the C13 chord (which is E):
…with the fourth tone of the C major scale (which is F):
…we get the C13sus4 chord:
Here’s a classic 13sus4 chord:
…and it looks like we’re playing the Bb major seventh chord over C on the bass:
Bb major seventh chord (right hand):
C bass (left hand):
How To Form The 13sus4 Chords
Over any left hand bass note, you can form a 13sus4 chord by just playing a major seventh chord on your right hand. This is as simple as going down by a whole step below the bass note you have on your left hand.
“Let’s Form The E13sus4 Chord…”
Over the E bass note:
…we can go a whole-step below the E bass note to D:
…and form the D major seventh chord:
D major seventh chord over E on bass:
D major seventh:
E bass:
…produces the E13sus4 chord:
“Let’s Form The C#13sus4 Chord…”
Over the C# bass note:
…we can go a whole-step below (the C# bass note) to B:
…and form the B major seventh chord:
B major seventh chord over C# on bass:
B major seventh:
C# bass:
…produces the C#13sus4 chord:
“Here Are All The 13sus4 Chords On The Keyboard…”
C 13sus4 chord:
C# 13sus4 chord:
D 13sus4 chord:
Eb 13sus4 chord:
E 13sus4 chord:
F 13sus4 chord:
F# 13sus4 chord:
G 13sus4 chord:
Ab 13sus4 chord:
A 13sus4 chord:
Bb 13sus4 chord:
B 13sus4 chord:
Final Words
The 13sus4 chord is a powerful chord option for the 5-chord in any key you’re in.
If you’re also interested in learning how to modulate, the 13sus4 chord provides a powerful pivot chord option that would take you to the 1-chord in the key you’re modulating to.
In a subsequent lesson, we’ll cover this and you’ll see, step-by-step, how it works.
Until then, keep practicing.
