How to Play Csus4 Chord on Guitar
In today's lesson, we'll go over 3 distinct ways to play the C suspended fourth chord. For short written as Csus4 and pronounced C sus four.
These guitar chords sound really cool, and everyone learning guitar should add this chord to their vocabulary because they are also relatively easy to play!
We'll discover common positions, voicings, and recommend finger placements, each with its chord diagram. Later, we'll also discuss chord theory, how it gets its name, how to use it, etc.
Csus4 Guitar Chord Open Position
The fingering for Csus4 in open position is relatively easy. Place your:
- Index finger on second string, first fret
- Ring finger on fifth string, third fret
- Pinky finger on the fourth string, third fret
Be sure to not strum the low e string or the high e string!
Csus4 played using Barre chords
Csus4 Barre Chord Shape 1
The first barre chord we’ll look at is played as follows. Place your:
- First finger on 6th string, 8th fret
- Third finger on 5th string, 10th fret
- Barre with one finger (your ring finger)
Csus4 Barre Chord Shape 2
This next voicing for the Csus4 chord is played as follows. Place your:
- First finger on fifth string, third fret
- Third finger on fourth string, 5th fret
- As you barre across strings 4 - 2, add your fourth finger to the second string, 6th fret
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Csus4 Guitar Chord Theory
Now, let’s break down the theory of the Csus4 chord so you can better understand how it is constructed and how to use it.
The Csus4 guitar chord is built from the C major scale: C D E F G A B
To understand the chord formula, you need to understand "scale degrees," which is simply numbering the notes of a scale starting with the root note.
Often, music teachers reference the piano due to the simplicity of the layout for scales, but I think the illustration below will do:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C D E F G A B
The Csus4 is Neither A Major Nor A Minor Chord
In music theory, the 3rd scale degree determines if a chord is major or minor, and because the 3rd scale degree is not part of this chord's formula, it's simply not a major nor minor chord.
If you've read my breakdown of the C major chord, you'd know that a C major chord uses notes C E G which are chord tones 1 3 5 notes of the scale. For a C suspended chord the fourth degree essentially is used to replace the third as we use the 1 4 5 chord tones.
Side note: I don't want to get too deep into the theory, but sometimes you'll hear the 4 referred to as a perfect fourth in reference to the intervals. This is another layer deep and really isn't important right now.
How To Use C Suspended Fourth Chord
Because a sus chord is neither major nor minor - it's almost like it's "SUSPENDED" and doesn't know where to go. This will create "suspense," no pun intended :) keeping your listeners engaged a bit longer.
It's used to get a bit more mileage out of the chord before there is movement. This means that you can bounce around on it, moving from Cm to Csus4 or C major to Csus4 to keep the listener entertained a little longer before you move to another chord.
What Keys Use Csus4 Guitar Chord?
Csus4 works in the key of:
Now you know a few ways to play the Csus4 chord and understand some Csus4 chord theory!
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