Dbsus4 Db suspended fourth chord
- Notes
- Db Gb Ab
- Formula
- 1 4 5
- Semitones
- 0 5 7 above the root
- Also written
- C#sus4 (C# F# G#)
- Other symbols
- Dbsus
Db to Gb is a perfect fourth (5 semitones), Gb to Ab is a major second (2 semitones). The third is replaced by the fourth (Gb), which wants to fall to the third. With Gb in the bass the same three keys read as F#sus2 (also written Gbsus2).
Dbsus4 on the piano
Root position from Db4: Db4, Gb4, Ab4. Middle C is C4.
Dbsus4 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has Db as its lowest note.
x 4 6 6 7 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 Ab3 Db4 Gb4 Ab4
9 11 11 11 9 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 Ab3 Db4 Gb4 Ab4 Db5
The barre shapes are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play suspended fourth chords on other roots.
Inversions of Dbsus4
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | Db Gb Ab | Dbsus4 | |
| 1st inversion | Gb Ab Db | F#sus2 (also written Gbsus2; also read as Dbsus4/Gb) | |
| 2nd inversion | Ab Db Gb | Ab7sus4 (also read as Dbsus4/Ab) |
Where Dbsus4 fits
A sus chord has no third, so it is neither major nor minor and has no fixed place in a key. Dbsus4 usually resolves to Db or Dbm: the fourth, Gb, falls a half or whole step to the third. Its most common job is Vsus4 in Gb major, delaying the V chord: Dbsus4 → Db → Gb.