Chord Primer
Substituting Chords
Description
Sometimes it’s easier to play a slightly different chord than written. Here’s the basic principle for chord substitution:
It’s ok to add notes and take away notes, but you can’t change notes.
If the chord is A (1-3-5), you can’t play Am (1-b3-5). But you can take away the 3rd and play a 2 instead: A2 (1-2-5).
Here’s a chart with a list of possible substitutions. I used G as the root, but obviously this holds true for any chord roots.
| Written Chord | Possible Substitutions |
|---|---|
| G | G2, G5 |
| Gm | G2, G5 |
| G2, Gsus2 | G5, G or Gm (depending on the context) |
| G5 | G2, G or Gm (depending on the context) |
| Gsus, Gsus4 | G5, sometimes Gadd4 |
| G7 | G, G2, G5, Gsus7 |
| Gm7 | Gm, Bb (major chord built on the b3) |
| Gmaj7 | G2, G5, G, Bm (minor chord built on the 3) |
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