Dbsus4 Guitar Chord
Db Sus4 · also written C#sus4 · Db–Gb–Ab
Dbsus4 is the Db sus4 chord: Db–Gb–Ab. Its sound is tense and suspended — the 4th leans hard on the 3rd it displaced, begging to resolve. It's also written as C#sus4 — same notes, same shapes, different spelling.
Suspended chords are about motion: Dbsus4 usually resolves to plain Db or Dbm, and strumming between them is a songwriting trick you've heard in everything from The Who to Tom Petty. Because there's no 3rd, Dbsus4 works over both major and minor contexts in the key of Db.
The most common way to play Dbsus4 is the neck voicing at the 1st fret (x 4 4 1 2 x, low E string to high E string). 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 Dbsus4: 8 Voicings
Frets are listed from the low E string to the high E string. x = don't play that string, 0 = open string.
Dbsus4 Chord Theory
| Interval | R | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | Db | Gb | Ab |
Dbsus4 is built from the Db major scale.
Dbsus4 Chord FAQ
What notes are in the Dbsus4 chord?
Dbsus4 contains 3 notes: Db (R), Gb (4), Ab (5). The interval formula for a sus4 chord is R–4–5.
What is the easiest way to play Dbsus4 on guitar?
Use the neck voicing at the 1st fret: x 4 4 1 2 x (frets listed from the low E string to the high E string, x = don't play that string). Dbsus4 has no open-position shape in standard tuning, so this movable form is the standard starting point.
Is Dbsus4 a major or minor chord?
Neither — Dbsus4 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.
Is Dbsus4 the same as C#sus4?
Yes. Db and C# are enharmonic equivalents — the same pitch written two ways. Dbsus4 and C#sus4 use identical shapes and frets; which spelling you see depends on the key of the song.
What keys use the Dbsus4 chord?
Dbsus4 appears diatonically in Db major (as I), Ab major (as IV), and F# major (as V) — plus Bb minor, its relative minor key.
Related Chords
Hear yourself play Dbsus4
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