Dsus4 D suspended fourth chord
- Notes
- D G A
- Formula
- 1 4 5
- Semitones
- 0 5 7 above the root
- Other symbols
- Dsus
D to G is a perfect fourth (5 semitones), G to A is a major second (2 semitones). The third is replaced by the fourth (G), which wants to fall to the third. With G in the bass the same three keys read as Gsus2.
Dsus4 on the piano
Root position from D4: D4, G4, A4. Middle C is C4.
Dsus4 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 D as its lowest note.
x x 0 2 3 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 A3 D4 G4
x 5 7 7 8 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 A3 D4 G4 A4
10 12 12 12 10 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 A3 D4 G4 A4 D5
The E-shape and A-shape grips 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.
Dsus4 on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
0230 (G C E A)
Sounds G4 D4 G4 A4
0250 (G C E A)
Sounds G4 D4 A4 A4
Inversions of Dsus4
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 | D G A | Dsus4 | |
| 1st inversion | G A D | Gsus2 (also read as Dsus4/G) | |
| 2nd inversion | A D G | A7sus4 (also read as Dsus4/A) |
Where Dsus4 fits
A sus chord has no third, so it is neither major nor minor and has no fixed place in a key. Dsus4 usually resolves to D or Dm: the fourth, G, falls a half or whole step to the third. Its most common job is Vsus4 in G major, delaying the V chord: Dsus4 → D → G.