Suspended 4th Guitar Chords
sus4 or susSuspended 4th chords (sus) are chords where the 3rd is omitted. It is usually replaced with either a major 2nd (sus2), or a perfect fourth (sus4).
Both chords have interesting qualities, with the perfect fourth more commonly used (sus4). Dissonance is created due to the structure of the chord... omission of the 3rd and inclusion of a 2nd or 4th. This means the sound is generally unstable and needs resolution. This is usually done by going back to the major chord, for example D - Dsus4 - D, or D - Dsus2 - D ... try it.
- Suspended 4th Chord: sus4 or sus
- Intervals: Root, perfect fourth (no third), perfect fifth.
- sus4 formula: 1 - 4 - 5
- Suspended 2nd Chord: sus2
- Intervals: Root, perfect second (no third), perfect fifth.
- sus2 formula: 1 - 2 - 5
Example: Calculating a Bsus4 chord
- 'B' chords, are based on the B major scale which consists of 5 sharps – F#, C#, G#, D#, A#.
- The scale reads as follows: B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B
- Formula for sus4 chords: 1-4-5
- Substitute the notes of the scale into the formula
- Bsus4 = B - E - F#
- Same as above except the formula is 1-2-5 and after substituting the notes into the formula
- Bsus2 = B - C# - F#
Suspended 4th Chords Table (sus4 or sus)
| Chord (sus4) | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ | E | F | F#/G♭ | G | G#/A♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ | E | F | F#/G♭ | G | G#/A♭ |
| Perfect 4th | D | D#/E♭ | E | F | F#/G♭ | G | G#/A♭ | A | B♭ | B/C♭ | C | C#/D♭ |
| Perfect 5th | E | E#/F | F# | G | G#/A♭ | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ |
Suspended 4th Chords - RH / LH
▶︎ Chord Chart Legend
↓ suspended 4th chords - Part 1
Please note that with chords like Asus4, you can just play the A major chord and just add the circled 2 note with your 4th finger. I tend to do this a lot. When you play a major chord, you tend to improvise around it by adding a sus4 chord and releasing it back to the major chord... adds colour and interest to a piece. They are great chords and you will find yourself using them all the time.
Left Handers
↓ suspended 4th chords fo Lefties - Part 1
Chord Inversions
A chord is inverted when any note other than the root is placed in the bass. Triads have three possible positions:
- Root Position: root is the lowest note
- First Inversion: 3rd is the lowest note
- Second Inversion: 5th is the lowest note
Example: C major (C–E–G)
- Root Position: C
- First Inversion: C/E.
- Second Inversion: (C/G).
The correlation between sus4 and sus2 chords
Suspended chords omit the 3rd and replace it with either:- a 4th (sus4 → 1–4–5)
- a 2nd (sus2 → 1–2–5)
Because both contain the same three notes, sus4 and sus2 chords are inversions of each other.
⭐ sus4 → sus2 (count up 5 semitones)
Let's take a look at some examples:Asus4 → Dsus2
- Asus4 = A–D–E
- Dsus2 = D–E–A
- Counting up 5 semitones from A reaches D.
A → A# → B → C → C# → D - Dsus2 = Asus4 with its 4th (D) in the bass
Csus4 → Fsus2
- Csus4 = C–F–G
- Fsus2 = F–G–C
- Counting up 5 semitones from C reaches F.
C → C# → D → D# → E → F - Fsus2 = Csus4 with its 4th (F) in the bass
Conclusion: A sus2 chord is the first inversion of its sus4 counterpart.
⭐ sus2 → sus4 (count up 7 semitones or down 5)
Let's take a look at some examples:Gsus2 → Dsus4
- Gsus2 = G–A–D
- Dsus4 = D–G–A
- Counting up 7 semitones from G reaches D.
G → G# → A → A# → B → C → C# → D - Dsus4 = Gsus2 with its 5th (D) in the bass
Fsus2 → Csus4
- Fsus2 = F–G–C
- Csus4 = C–F–G
- Counting up 7 semitones from F reaches C.
F → F# → G → G# → A → A# → B → C - Csus4 = Fsus2 with its 5th (C) in the bass
Conclusion: A sus4 chord is the second inversion of its sus2 counterpart.
Summary:
If you want to find the equivalent sus2 chord from a sus4 chord in terms of notes played, count 5 half-steps upwards
If you want to find the equivalent sus4 chord from a sus2 chord in terms of notes played, count 7 half-steps upwards
Bear in mind that a chord generally leads from the tonic, so although Gsus2 and Dsus4 share the same notes, it depends on the tonal quality you're after. If you want to lead with a G note, you would choose Gsus2, but if you're not fussed and are looking for something a little different, you may want to play Dsus4 instead.
Play This: | Dsus4 | Dsus4 | Dsus4 | Dsus4 |
Dsus4: xx0233 Gsus2: 300033
Now Play: | Dsus4 | Gsus2 | Dsus4 | Gsus2 |
What do you think?
P.S. 'Aint Theory grand! 
I hope you have enjoyed this session on Suspended 4th Chords. These chords tend to leave you 'hanging' or 'suspended' so as to speak, with a need for resolution - however in some cases - either at the end of a piece or in a bridging section, they can add interest. Try it - you may like it.
Practice songs featuring sus4 chords
| Song / Artist | Capo | Key | Core Chords |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annies Song - John Denver | - | D | D, G, A, Bm, F#m, Em |
| Better Man - Robbie Williams | +2 | E | E, Em, F#m, G, A, B, Cmaj7, C#m, D6 |
| First Cut Is The Deepest - Sheryl Crow | - | D | D, G, A |
| I Wont Give Up - Jason Mraz | +2 | D | D, Em, G, A, Bm, C, C#dim |
| Peaceful Easy Feeling - The Eagles | - | E | E, A, B7, F#m11 |
| While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles | - | Am | Am, Bm, C, C#m, D, E, F, F#m, G |
Practice songs featuring sus2 chords
| Song / Artist | Capo | Key | Core Chords |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Thousand Years - Christina Perri | +1 | A | A, Bm, D, E, F#m |
| Alone - The Bee Gees | - | D | D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm |
| From This Moment On - Shania Twain | - | G→A→B | G, A, Am, B, Bm, C, C#m, D, E, Em, F#, F#m |
| Say Something - A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera | - | D | D, Bm, Em, G, A |
| Songbird - Eva Cassidy | - | G | G, Am, C, D, Em |
| We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift | - | C | C, G, D, Em |
