What chord is this?

[asberrys]

Hi everyone. I would like to know the chord one obtains when you fret the E-string at the third fret(low G) with the first finger and do a harmonic chord by touching A,D,and G strings at the 5th fret with the ring finger. The notes would be low G,and A,D,G(harmonics,hence 2 octaves above open strings). I love this chord because it is essentially a piano chord with a nice spread,a G in the first low octave and the rest of the notes above middle C. Sounds better than a piano chord to me cause it reminds me of a vibraphone. Nicest chord on the bass I think.

A G chord suspended 2nd? Or one of those slash chords,you know G/something. Thanks in advance.

[cjmodulus]

Originally Posted by asberrys

Hi everyone. I would like to know the chord one obtains when you fret the E-string at the third fret(low G) with the first finger and do a harmonic chord by touching A,D,and G strings at the 5th fret with the ring finger. The notes would be low G,and A,D,G(harmonics,hence 2 octaves above open strings). I love this chord because it is essentially a piano chord with a nice spread,a G in the first low octave and the rest of the notes above middle C. Sounds better than a piano chord to me cause it reminds me of a vibraphone. Nicest chord on the bass I think.

A G chord suspended 2nd? Or one of those slash chords,you know G/something. Thanks in advance.

Yep, Gsus2 sounds right because all you have is a root (g) fifth (d) and a second (a) and no third (which would be a B or Bb depending on if it's major or minor.
A suss chord is created when you have a root and fifth with a fourth or second and no third.
If I'm wrong in sure someone will correct me.

[Rockin Mike]

I started to call it a G 9th, but then I bothered to look it up and yes the absence of the third makes a stronger case for it being a Gsus2.

[cjmodulus]

Originally Posted by Rockin Mike

I'd call it a G 9th with no third, because the A is higher than either of the doubled-root Gs.

I think a suspension implies that the suspended note will resolve downward a step (or half-step) in the next chord.
I might be wrong about that.

Interesting. I hope someone more knowledgeable than both of us chimes in soon. Im curious now.
Edit: I posted during your edit. Whoops. I do hope someone else can chime in though.

[Buxtehude]

G add 9

[Rockin Mike]

It depends how you look at it.
You could make a case for it being a
D add 4
G add 9
G sus 2
A7 sus 4
or ?
I think the case for G as the tonic is strongest because the G is doubled, and it's also the lowest note in the inversion.

A to whether it's a G add 9 or a G sus 2, I think the missing third makes a stronger case for the sus 2.

Just my opinion. YMMV.

The surrounding chords and lines in the piece also have a place in the reasoning too, but they're not given in this example.

[Papa Dangerous]

I went to digital piano and played the notes G-A-D-G within the same octave and it told me it was, as expected, a G sus2. Adding the third, minor/major made it a 9th chord.

[JimK]

If I remember...I will look into an old Guitar Player mag.
A bassist named Adam Novick wrote an article on these EB harmonic chords.

IIRC, the one the OP mentioned is a popular one...& it had a few names (depending on its function).

Another one that sounds good-
G-string = Harmonic 7th fret
D-string = Harmonic 9th fret
A-string = Harmonic 7th fret
E-string = "C" (8th fret)

Let the harmonics ring...play the "C" note last.

[Stick_Player]

Gsus2 or the long-winded Gadd9(no3rd).

It would be important to indicate the successive Fourths, if you want that 'open' sound.

Gsus2 suggests a tighter 'cluster' sound with the G and A a whole-step apart.

[Richard Lindsey]

I agree with Stick that either of those two names would be accurate. I would typically prefer the first, since it's both shorter and simpler. There was a thread a while back where some of us went round and round (and round and round and round ) about whether there was any meaningful difference between the two names. There's not IMO, but you can probably dig up the thread and go through it if you're that interested in this comparatively minor question. But it might not repay the effort required to disinter it. You know how we theory nerds get sometimes.

[FretlessMainly]

You can't call it a G add9 because that implies that the third is present. You can't call it a G 9th because that implies it's a dominant 7 chord (i.e. G9 = G7 add9). Gsus2 does it as stick player posted, although one could argue that Gsus9 better conveys that open sound of the A being above the octave of the root G (and still connotes lack of a 3rd). The again, everyone is being so root oriented on G. It could just as easily be thought of as a Dsus4 in first inversion. Or would that be Dsus(-11)?

[JTE]

Uh oh....

I recall that thread Richard speaks of. Suffice to say that there are different ways to name chords, and in isolation without context (another "uh oh", based on the current modes thread), it can be open to interpretation. But I'd also call it Gsus2. As said above the tones are 1, 2, and 5. No third, no seventh. So it's not a G9 (which needs the 3rd and the b7 to be the 9th). Not a Gadd9 because there's no third.

Now, it could FUNCTION as any of those if someone else in the group supplies the missing 3rd or 7th (yeah, flat 7). But those three notes (the repeated G is still a G and so there are three notes in the construction of the chord) all by themselves in isolation would be a Gsus2.

John

[asberrys]

Darn you guys are helpful and knowledgeable. Here's an addenum to this thread that is connected to the OP. What if I keep the Low G fretted but this time bar/touch the upper 3 strings at the 4th fret instead? Notes are G,(c sharp,f sharp,b)Harmonics. Perhaps a G/Fsus4 chord?
What if I keep the Low G and bar/touch the third fret now.Notes Low G(g,c,f)Harmonics. Fsus2? or maybe G/F sus2?
Finally what if I keep the Low G and bar/touch the upper 3 strings at the 2nd fret? I don't know the harmonic notes here but it sounds like the very last chord on Portrait of Tracy. I love doing this chordal sequence as it seems to resolve on the PoT chord. This is why I think this area is the nicest on the Bass. Thanks tons again.

[Stick_Player]

Originally Posted by asberrys

Darn you guys are helpful and knowledgeable. Here's an addenum to this thread that is connected to the OP. What if I keep the Low G fretted but this time bar/touch the upper 3 strings at the 4th fret instead? Notes are G,(c sharp,f sharp,b)Harmonics. Perhaps a G/Fsus4 chord?
What if I keep the Low G and bar/touch the third fret now.Notes Low G(g,c,f)Harmonics. Fsus2? or maybe G/F sus2?
Finally what if I keep the Low G and bar/touch the upper 3 strings at the 2nd fret? I don't know the harmonic notes here but it sounds like the very last chord on Portrait of Tracy. I love doing this chordal sequence as it seems to resolve on the PoT chord. This is why I think this area is the nicest on the Bass. Thanks tons again.

You are referring to "quartal" harmony/chords - chords stacked in fourths.

Labeling them? You asked about the "Notes are G, (c sharp, f sharp, b) Harmonics.

Could be F#sus/G, or C#sus7b5/G, Bsus2/G... who knows?

I believe the last chord or Portrait of Tracy is produced with False Harmonics - or at least that's how I do it.

[EscapeNote]

With chord descriptions it's often a matter of context. Out of context, the safest, simplest bet is the G sus2. But what if you played that chord with a band that was playing in G minor? What if there was a Bb in the melody? Gm add9. Pianist or guitarist adding the minor 7? Gmin9. Band playing a dominant chord, perhaps key of C? G9. You're playing in the key of D, so the G is a IV chord and perhaps gtr or pno are playing an extended version of the chord, (G - B - D - F# - A - C#) so the chord that would be written on the chart would be GMaj9#11. And on and on... the notes you are playing are only part of the larger harmonic picture.

But the sus 2 chord is used a LOT in all kinds of music; if those 3 notes - G, A and D - are the only ones being played, with no one else in the band playing a 3rd or any upper extensions, then it's most accurately a Gsus2. Or if your playing solo...

[JimK]

Originally Posted by asberrys

Hi everyone. I would like to know the chord one obtains when you fret the E-string at the third fret(low G) with the first finger and do a harmonic chord by touching A,D,and G strings at the 5th fret with the ring finger. . Nicest chord on the bass I think.

Now...with bass in-hand.
That chord is very consonant. Nicest chord? OK.

Something less "nice"...move the harmonics down to the 4th fret w/ the G bass note.

Also, experiment with your original chord by moving the Fretted Note from "G" to "A" to "Bb", etc.

[Stick_Player]

Originally Posted by JimK

Something less "nice"...move the harmonics down to the 4th fret w/ the G bass note.

Let's look at this "chord". The harmonics over the fourth fret (sorta) produce a pitch two octaves and a major third above the open string. This is the fourth overtone - the string is being divided by 5.

The notes (from the A, D and G strings) produced are C#, F# and B - two octaves and a major third above the open strings.

Add the fretted low G and you have the chord described in my previous post - F#sus/G, or C#sus7b5/G, Bsus2/G... or call it what you like

Now, this is chord is similar to the very last chord of Portrait of Tracy.

However...

You must fret, at the ninth fret, the A, D and G strings. This will give you F#, B and E (ascending in pitch). Now, stretch your pinky four frets up, lightly touch the strings above the 13th fret. These are False Harmonics and will produce the pitches A#, D# and G# (two octaves and a major third above the fretted strings). Keep in mind that you are lightly touching up four frets from where you are stopping/fretting the strings, just like the above chord.

After you can get these very high harmonics/notes to ring out (pluck near the bridge), precede them with your open, low E.