C7sus4(add 3)

I love a good 7sus4(add 3) chord.

It’s funky. It’s modern. It’s floaty.

What’s not to like?

Well, if you play a lousy voicing, there’s a lot not to like.

That’s because 7sus4(add 3) is a spicy chord. I’m talkin’ ghost pepper spicy.

In other words, be sure to handle with care.

Here’s a good voicing for 7sus4(add 3):

And here’s a not-so-good voicing for 7sus4(add 3):

Any idea why the latter feels like you just cut up a bunch of ghost peppers and then touched your eyes?

It’s the minor ninth between the 3rd and the 4th – in this case the E and the F.

You see, the first example voices the 3rd above the 4th, which creates a major seventh – still a dissonant interval but much less so than the minor ninth.

Again, some chords are more high maintenance than others.

That’s why it’s so important to have an arsenal of chord voicings from which you can pull, especially if you’re into more advanced harmony.

So many people ask me how to play sick-sounding jazz and R&B chord progressions on the piano, and 99% of the time my answer is to learn better voicings.

It’s why I created Sick Chords Vol. 1 – a collection of my all-time favorite voicings for Major 7, Minor 7, and Dominant 7 chords loaded with juicy extensions and crunchy alterations.

You can learn more about Sick Chords Vol. 1 here, and I highly recommend you do because it’s the fastest way to sounding better on the keys.

Happy shedding,

Jeff