Try this:
Instead of playing a regular major chord, for instance:
CEbAb (Abmajor)
try
BbEbAb (Absus2 or Ab2)
or it's big brother the 6/9 chord
FBbEb or CFBb (both of these are Ab6/9 chords one goes off the fifth the other goes off the third)
I use sus2 and 6/9 chords all the time. They're grrrrrreat! However, like everything, don't overuse them, balance is important. Here's some examples of how I use them:
Piano:
Ab\BbEbAb (Absus2)
AbEb\CFBb (Ab 6/9)
AbGb\CFBb* (Ab13 not the same as Abm13 or Abmaj13) Be careful with this one, it's dominant.
CEb\Bb (Absus2) Use this one in between chords, within a progression.
Eb\BbF (Ab 6/9)
Basically, if you notice, you can move the notes around anyway you want. Just make sure that the 6 and 9 are in there and that you're playing either the third or fifth, for the 6/9 chord, and that the 2 is somewhere, if you're playing a sus2 chord. However, if you add the b7 (dominant seventh) all the keys change name, 6 becoming 13, 2 becoming 9, 4 becoming 11. The only ones that really stay the same are the 1st, the 3rd and the 5th.
One thing to remember when naming your chords is, and this can cause a lot of confusion, Ab7, or any chord with just the number next to it--if the number is greater than or equal to 7, implies that a b7 is added, since this is normally used to denote dominant chords.
Ab9 = AbCEbGbBb
Abmaj9 = AbCEbGBb
Abm9 = AbBEbGbBb
Abminmaj9 = AbBEbABb
*I just went off topic, but maybe that's what this lesson really needed to be about.
Hope this helps
