This is my first post on the board, and unfortunately it's probably going to be a little long and confusing.
I greatly appreciate all help in advance!
Currently I'm reading a book by Jimmy Webb called "Tunesmith". It's about writing songs. I'm in the middle of some theory stuff and I've come to a road block I don't know how to get through.
Basically the writer is explaining the construction of a Csus2sus4 chord.
He explained using the 4th tone instead of the 3rd for a Csus4.
He explained using the 2nd tone instead of the 3rd for a Csus2
I get confused when he starts to talk about the sus4sus2.
I do understand that to create a sus4sus2 you use the 2nd tone instead of the third tone, and the 4th tone instead of the 5th tone. The chord he uses as an example in his book looks like this....
--------------
--------------
--------------
G Clef--------------
0
--------------
0
--0--
(this is how it looks on sheet music, so imagine this like sheet music and the final note is on a ledger line)
This is where I get confused.
He says that the interval between the 2nd suspended tone and the 4th suspended tone is a minor third.
He also says this minor third is one and one half steps.
Because were talking about a C chord the 2nd and 4th are....
2nd= D
4th=F
So we count up from D...D#(1) E(2) E#(3)
Sure enough that is 3 half steps.
But why is it a "minor" third and not just a third?
He then says to invert (revoice) the minor third by placing the D above the F.
He says that now the interval between the 4th and 2nd tones is a sixth.
He says a sixth is 8 half steps.
4th=F, 2nd=D
F#(1) G(2) G#(3) A(4) A#(5) B(6) C(7) C#(8)
And it comes out to 8 steps.
Now here is what I REALLY don't get....
He says that with this revoicing, the C major triad is inverted as well.
The next chord example (labeled as a sus2sus4) he shows looks like this...
--------------
-------0------
--------------
G Clef------ 0-----
0
-------------
What I don't get is that this is supposed to be a Csus4sus2, but there is no C note at all! there is an F, G, and a D.
2nd, 4th, and 5th tones.
Where did the root go and why is it not in the chord?
Shouldn't the revoicing of the sus4sus2 look like this?
--------------
-------0------
0
--------------
G Clef------------
0
-------------
It gets more confusing for me when he resolves the suspension.
The resolved suspension is a revoicing of the C triad...but the C tone is back.
Here is the resolved chord...
-------------
------------
0
-------------
G Clef ------0-----
------0------
Sorry this post is so long!! Can anyone help me understand why the C is missing from the revoiced Csus2sus4 and why the 3rd between the 2nd and 4th tones is minor?
Any other help is also encouraged and I'm very thankful for your help in advance.
-Daniel