Suspended 4th chord · D root
Dsus4 chord
- D1
- G4
- A5
The D suspended 4th chord is built from the notes D, G, A. It turns up 17 times in the 104 songs on this site, including All of Me (John Legend) and Fast Car.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Dsus4 chord?
The Dsus4 chord (D suspended 4th) is a suspended 4th chord built from three notes: D, G, A — the 1–4–5 of the D scale, 5 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (x-x-0-2-3-3) with 3 fretted strings while 1 string rings open and the low E string stays silent. It is rated intermediate. An airy, unresolved sound that hangs before resolving to the major chord. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, Dsus4 appears 17 times in 6 songs, most often in the keys of E and A, and the chord it most often moves to is D. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 3 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the Dsus4 chord on guitar?
Open position. The barre covers only part of the strings; keep the marked open strings ringing.
- Lay your middle finger flat across the B to high E strings at fret 3, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Press the G string at fret 2 with your index finger.
- Start your strum on the D string and leave the low E and A strings out.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (G string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. x-x-0-x-3-3
How do you make Dsus4 sound clean?
Reaching for Dsus4 with a fresh grip costs the beat. Keep D planted and drop the pinky onto the high E.
D → Dsus4 → D at 60 BPM, then hold Dsus4 for a full bar and feel how badly it wants to fall back.
In real songs
What songs use the Dsus4 chord?
- chord changes
- 17
- songs
- 6
- common keys
- E · A
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, Dsus4 appears 17 times in 6 songs — most often in the keys of E and A.
EmCDsus4D
CGEmDsus4
CGEmDsus4
All 6 songs that use Dsus4— key, capo and a link to every sheet
| Song | Artist | Key | Capo |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Me (John Legend) | John Legend | Ab | 1 |
| Fast Car | Tracy Chapman | D | 2 |
| Payphone | Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa | B | 4 |
| Peaceful Easy Feeling | Eagles | E | 2 |
| What's Up? | 4 Non Blondes | A | — |
| Wonderwall | Oasis | F#m | 2 |
Chord flow
What chord comes after Dsus4?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1879 chord changes are behind these figures.
What other ways can you play Dsus4 up the neck?
2 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 5 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
Position 3 · Fret 10 barre
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
It uses 2 separate barres. Fret each one across its marked strings, then add the other fingers without damping the ringing notes.
Watch the Dsus4 chord
Video: JustinGuitar on YouTube — embedded with the official player; credit and views belong to the creator.
The theory behind Dsus4
Dsus4 is spelled D – G – A — the 1 – 4 – 5 of the D scale, which is the root plus 5 semitones, 7 semitones. An airy, unresolved sound that hangs before resolving to the major chord.
The fourth replaces the third, so Dsus4 has no major or minor quality at all — it is a chord mid-sentence. Move that note down a semitone and it resolves; leave it hanging and the music sounds unresolved on purpose.
Dsus4 on other instruments
D – G – A — all white keys, so you can find the shape by counting up from C.
Take it to the practice room
