Start by getting clear on what a sus chord actually is. These chords can feel confusing at first, especially if you’re expecting a typical dominant sound. The key is understanding that sus chords aren’t restrictive, they open up multiple harmonic possibilities. Learning how these chords are constructed and what makes them tick will give you more options and remove the uncertainty about what will sound right.

In this lesson, you'll get all the tools you need to understand, hear, and play Maiden Voyage. We’ll start out by getting into the chord progression and the form. Then we’ll give you even more on Sus chords. After that, we’ll take a look at the voicings Herbie Hancock uses on these Sus chords along with the rhythm. And then, we’ll deconstruct Bobby Hutcherson’s solo, detailing a bunch of soloing tactics that you can start using today.

Finally, focus on creating motion over long stretches of a static dominant sus sound. In this step, you'll learn exactly how one of the true giants of this music, Chick Corea, deals with this problem. Like many iconic players, he’s mastered the ins and outs of the art from, and this makes him an amazing resource for building a vocabulary over this particular harmonic situation.