Which chord?

[ragman1]

Well, your initial question about the chord started out as a theory question because there was no context. Even I put G/C first, I think. But context is all when deciding what to call it.

It's like, for example, the word 'bow'. What's that? It could be a bow to an audience, a bow and arrow, the front of a ship, a way of tying a ribbon... you see the point. And, if you only hear it pronounced in a certain way, it sounds like the branch of a tree. And so on.

So, given your chords, it had to be a C major chord. As for the 3rd, it's missing because it's been replaced by the 2. Like a C6, the 5 (G) is replaced by the A. With the G still there and the A an octave above it becomes the 13. And, as we know, a sus chord is neither major or minor for the same reason, there's no 3rd.

So it all depends. But 'it depends' doesn't mean any old answer will do. 'Depends' means, pretty strictly, dependent on the other details and circumstances.

You're correct, of course, about this being in the Theory section. Nothing wrong with that. But answering root ambiguity is easy, it doesn't require a slew of long highbrow posts about classical theory which simply obscure the point of the thread. In fact, the simpler and clearer the explanation the better.

[Christian Miller]

Regarding CM7sus2 or G/C: I see both points of view now and learned something (although pingu’s remark about the 3rd has me thinking about it again).
Regarding the wider discussion: I’m OK with it. I’m hearing about stuff I’d never have heard about otherwise. Not planning to become a music theory scholar because deep down I’m practical about it and focus on playing. But it’s interesting and this _is_ a theory subforum, so seems like a legit place to dive deep.

here’s a tune I wrote using only this type of chord btw,

Anansi Blues | Christian Miller Quartet | Christian Miller

hope you like it!

EDIT: it seems to be linking to the whole album. The track is called Mount Inari.

I wrote it as both on charts. In the end I opted for maj7sus2 - easier to read I think. That said I find myself most often improvising over it as a type of slash chord. How you hear it will change depending on whether you hear C or G as the root on a G/C chord. I think it’s more colourful to play on the upper structure triad.

[wolflen]

This is for Christian. It's neither functional nor non-functional. It's just there, like the breeze.

yes...Hanging out in "real" coffee houses NYC/village..listening to two guitars trying to talk to each other

[Oscar67]

here’s a tune I wrote using only this type of chord btw,

Anansi Blues | Christian Miller Quartet | Christian Miller

hope you like it!

Thanks for sharing that! Without wanting to go off on a production tangent, it was recorded beautifully. Very 3D, if that makes sense. And your guitar tone is wonderful. Musically, I like that on the one hand it’s laid back and sparse, but on the other hand I experience a propelling, somewhat tribal, trance-like intensity. It has its own thing going and I appreciate that. Harmonically I’m not in a position to comment on it, other than that it speaks to me. Which might be all that matters anyway.

[Oscar67]

As for the 3rd, it's missing because it's been replaced by the 2. Like a C6, the 5 (G) is replaced by the A. With the G still there and the A an octave above it becomes the 13. And, as we know, a sus chord is neither major or minor for the same reason, there's no 3rd.

All clear now. Tx!

[ragman1]

yes...Hanging out in "real" coffee houses NYC/village..listening to two guitars trying to talk to each other

You're trying to tell me something, wolflen, but that's about as far as I've got :-)

[Christian Miller]

Thanks for sharing that! Without wanting to go off on a production tangent, it was recorded beautifully. Very 3D, if that makes sense. And your guitar tone is wonderful. Musically, I like that on the one hand it’s laid back and sparse, but on the other hand I experience a propelling, somewhat tribal, trance-like intensity. It has its own thing going and I appreciate that. Harmonically I’m not in a position to comment on it, other than that it speaks to me. Which might be all that matters anyway.

thank you!

[wolflen]

You're trying to tell me something, wolflen, but that's about as far as I've got :-)

your tune reminded me of .. back in the day hanging out in coffee houses

one guy would be playing "something" and it may have some harmonic/melodic tonality in the key of G..

another guy come in with his guitar..dosent ask if he can join or anything.

and just starts playing "something" perhaps in the key of Bb

it now sounds a bit like two radios tuned to different stations

John Cage on acid perhaps

ahh those were the days

[pauln]

…and all I wanted was the name of a simple chord ;-)

You can always force it to be some kind of G bottom chord

Gadd4
Gadd11
D13sus4/G
CM7sus2/G
Gadd4add12
Gsus4addb11
Gadd11add12
G5add11addb11
Gsus4add12addb11

I think it sounds like C something... Cmaj9 ?

[Jimmy blue note]

it now sounds a bit like two radios tuned to different stations

John Cage on acid perhaps

Charles Ives

[ragman1]

ahh those were the days

They were. I'm a natural born cafe society person, no question. I haven't been to the States but I hung out in London and Paris back in the day. I used to play in the Troubadour in London quite a lot. Lots of famous faces went in there. This Indian guy I knew read poetry and I used to improvise some stuff behind him. All good fun. That was in the psychedelic era, of course, although I never really inhaled that deeply. But I did all the clubs and the beat poets were fun to watch.

So I know what you're talking about :-)

[pauln]

sounds a bit like two radios tuned to different stations

If the stations are tuned a 5th apart...
Cmaj9 is the same as a G major chord
[GBD] played over a C, [CGBD] or G/C