C#maj7sus4(addb9) Suspended
The C#maj7sus4(addb9) chord is built from the notes C# – F# – G# – B# – D.
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Chord tones, one by one
Root
The fundamental note the chord is built on — C#.
Suspended 4th
A perfect 4th replaces the third — tense, wants to resolve (sus4).
Perfect fifth
Seven semitones — the most stable interval, reinforces the root.
Major seventh
Eleven semitones — a lush, jazzy seventh just below the octave (maj7).
Flat ninth (♭9)
A ♭9 — sharp, dissonant tension typical of altered dominant chords.
🎹 Modal analysis
This chord is so rich it doesn't fit a single scale: it's a polychord (an “upper structure”) that stacks tensions from several scales at once. It doesn't work like a dominant that “wants” to resolve — it's pure color: picture one triad floating over an unrelated bass, the kind of sound used in reharmonization and modal passages. To make sense of it, follow the note-by-note breakdown above.
🎸 Genres
Modern jazz · Fusion · Film & TV scoring · Impressionism