Csus4 Guitar Chord
C Sus4 · C–F–G
Csus4 is the C sus4 chord: C–F–G. Its sound is tense and suspended — the 4th leans hard on the 3rd it displaced, begging to resolve.
Suspended chords are about motion: Csus4 usually resolves to plain C or Cm, and strumming between them is a songwriting trick you've heard in everything from The Who to Tom Petty. Because there's no 3rd, Csus4 works over both major and minor contexts in the key of C.
The easiest way to play Csus4 is the open-position shape (x 3 3 0 1 1, low E string to high E string), which uses open strings and stays in the first few frets. Below you'll find 8 ways to play it across the neck, from open position to barre and shell voicings, with the theory behind the chord and the progressions it lives in.
How to Play Csus4: 8 Voicings
Frets are listed from the low E string to the high E string. x = don't play that string, 0 = open string.
Csus4 Chord Theory
| Interval | R | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | C | F | G |
Csus4 is built from the C major scale.
Csus4 Chord FAQ
What notes are in the Csus4 chord?
Csus4 contains 3 notes: C (R), F (4), G (5). The interval formula for a sus4 chord is R–4–5.
What is the easiest way to play Csus4 on guitar?
Use the open-position shape: x 3 3 0 1 1 (frets listed from the low E string to the high E string, x = don't play that string). It uses open strings, so it needs the least finger strength.
Is Csus4 a major or minor chord?
Neither — Csus4 has no 3rd, the note that decides major versus minor. That ambiguity is exactly why it's useful: it fits over both major and minor harmony.
What keys use the Csus4 chord?
Csus4 appears diatonically in C major (as I), G major (as IV), and F major (as V) — plus A minor, its relative minor key.
Related Chords
Hear yourself play Csus4
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