Chord with suspended minor second

Dorico
#1

How can I write a chord with a suspended minor second and a suspended fourth?
In Finale I write it like this: C (sus b2)(sus 4)
I do not want to write it as b9 sus4 as I do not want to implicite the b7 in the chord.
But It seems as if Dorico does not consider a suspended minor second and ignores any input with b2.
I have seen this written also as (sus 4)(sus b9)
But Dorico does not accept sus b9 and the only way I found in Dorico is to write: sus4(add b9)
And as this chord is really a suspended chord where in the next chord the b2 falls to the root and the 4th falls to the major third I would like to keep the “sus” term.

Is it possible to save a custom Chord Symbol preset under a specific name in order to have several custom presets?

#2

I will ask Michael, the developer who did most of the work on Dorico’s model of how it thinks about chord symbols, what he thinks about what it would take to allow a sus b2. For the time being, you could give in and let Dorico show e.g. sus4(add b9) and then double-click it in Engrave mode and change it to look as you wish – you’ll need to create a new “sus” component in place of the “add” to do this.

#3

“I do not want to write it as b9 sus4 as I do not want to implicite the b7 in the chord.”

Since “sus” usually means that the third is replaced by something else (usually the fourth) - and if the chords consists of C, Bb, F and G, why not just use “sus4(add b9)”? the use of the word add before 9 suggests that there’s no b7 in that chord anyway. Sus 2 chords and sus 4 chords make sense because sometimes the third is replaced by either the second or the fourth, but usually not by the Db.

I’ve seen that chord written as Csus4 (b9). But but since a 9 usually implies a b7, maybe Csus4(b2) could be a way to write it as well, if you don’t want to use the available solution or b9?

C7 with a b9 is usually written C7(b9), (unlike a C9, which implies a Bb as well). So maybe Csus4 (b9) wouldn’t be such a bad idea.



Btw: According to oolimo.com (a site which I know nothing about), the correct way to write a similar chord with a b7 in would actually be C7sus(b9). So that would be another reason why Csus4(b9) isn’t such a bad idea.
http://www.oolimo.com/guitarchords/C7sus(b9)

But C sus4(add b9) removes any confusion about the b7.

#4

@ Daniel
Thanks for your suggestions.
1.
I tried to create a new “sus” component in place of “add” and I was able to do it.
I also set it as default, but it seems the default setting works only for the root note I choosed to edit the chord appearance.
For example I created the new chord appearance using the root note C
If I write then Csus4(add b9) it becomes automatically Csus4 (sus b2)
But if I write Dsus4(add b9) it stays Dsus4(add b9)
Is there a way to make a new created appearance of a chord valid for all notes?

  1. Could you please answer my second question wether it is possible to save several custom Chord Symbol presets?

@FlowerPower
Thanks for your suggestions.
Yes indeed (add b9) does not implicite the use of b7
I guess for now I will possibly write it this way.

But as I previously mention I would like to use the term sus because the context is definitely a case of supended notes.
Play C-E-G-Db-F followed by C-E-G-C-E
As you can hear this is a rather common suspended harmonic progression with a kind of spanish/oriental flavour.
And yes you are right usually a sus 2 is about a major second.
But for me in the above harmonic progression the used minor second is a supended minor second falling back to the root.

BTW this particular harmony used with the b7 is also known as “the Sus b9 mode” and it is also a chord based on phrygian mode.
But I do not intend to initiate any debate on the way one “should” name a chord.
As a composer I simply prefer to be able to name a chord as I want even if my naming is not common or mainstream.

#5

You will need to create the same preset for each root note, I’m afraid: you can’t make it a global preset, and you can only save a single default appearance for each specific combination of quality, interval, altered bass note, etc.

#6

OK, thanks again for your answer.
I hope then that you can find a way to officially offer the term “sus b2”.

As I understand the chord symbol presets like “Boston”, “Brandt-Roemer” and so on offfer a specific combination of the different official appearances provided by Dorico.
The Custom preset allows the user to choose a combination of any of the provided options.

But what is with the following situation:

  • In project 1 I choose the Boston Root appearance combined with the Brandt-Roemer superscript vertical position of accidental for root note
  • In project 2 I choose the Nashville root appearance combined with the Boston baseline Vertical position of accidental for root note.

Could you make possible to create two (or more) presets: “Project 1 preset” and “Project 2 preset” in order to be later able in other projects to choose from these differents custom presets?