Gsus4 Guitar Chord
G Sus4 · G–C–D
Gsus4 is the G sus4 chord: G–C–D. Its sound is tense and suspended — the 4th leans hard on the 3rd it displaced, begging to resolve.
Suspended chords are about motion: Gsus4 usually resolves to plain G or Gm, and strumming between them is a songwriting trick you've heard in everything from The Who to Tom Petty. Because there's no 3rd, Gsus4 works over both major and minor contexts in the key of G.
The most common way to play Gsus4 is the suspended grip at the 3rd fret (3 x 5 5 3 3, low E string to high E string). Below you'll find 3 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 Gsus4: 3 Voicings
Frets are listed from the low E string to the high E string. x = don't play that string, 0 = open string.
Gsus4 Chord Theory
| Interval | R | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | G | C | D |
Gsus4 is built from the G major scale.
Gsus4 Chord FAQ
What notes are in the Gsus4 chord?
Gsus4 contains 3 notes: G (R), C (4), D (5). The interval formula for a sus4 chord is R–4–5.
What is the easiest way to play Gsus4 on guitar?
Use the suspended grip at the 3rd fret: 3 x 5 5 3 3 (frets listed from the low E string to the high E string, x = don't play that string). Gsus4 has no open-position shape in standard tuning, so this movable form is the standard starting point.
Is Gsus4 a major or minor chord?
Neither — Gsus4 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 Gsus4 chord?
Gsus4 appears diatonically in G major (as I), D major (as IV), and C major (as V) — plus E minor, its relative minor key.
Related Chords
Hear yourself play Gsus4
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