How to Play Dsus4 Chord on Guitar
In today's lesson, we'll go over 3 distinct ways to play the D suspended fourth chord. For short written as Dsus4 and pronounced D 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.
Dsus4 Guitar Chord Open Position
The fingering for Dsus4 in an open position is relatively easy. Place your:
- First finger on third string, second fret
- Ring finger on second string, third fret
- Add your pinky finger to the first string, third fret
You can also think of it as playing a D major (or D minor) and then just adding your pinky on the 1st string 3rd fret.
Dsus4 Played Using Barre Chords
Dsus4 Barre Chord Shape 1
The first barre chord we’ll look at is played as follows. Place your:
- First finger on 6th string, 10th fret
- Third finger on 5th string, 12th fret
- Barre with one finger (your ring finger)
Dsus4 Barre Chord Shape 2
This next voicing for the Dsus4 chord is played as follows. Place your:
- First finger on fifth string, fifth fret
- Third finger on fourth string, 7th fret
- As you barre across strings 4 - 2, add your fourth finger to the second string, 8th fret
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Dsus4 Guitar Chord Theory
Now, let’s break down the theory of the Dsus4 chord so you can better understand how it is constructed and how to use it.
The Dsus4 guitar chord is built from the D major scale: D E F# F A B C#
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
D E F# G A B C
The Dsus4 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 D major chord, you'd know that a D major chord uses notes D F# A, which are chord tones 1 3 5 notes of the scale. For a D suspended chord, the fourth degree essentially is used to replace the third as we use the 1 4 5 chord tones.
How To Use D 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 Dm to Dsus4 or D major to Dsus4 to keep the listener entertained a little longer before you move to another chord.
Popular Songs That Use Dsus4
- Van Halen - Panama
- Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
- Boston - More Than A Feeling
What Keys Use Dsus4 Guitar Chord?
Dsus4 works in the key of:
Now you know a few ways to play the Dsus4 chord and understand some Dsus4 chord theory!
If you need help understanding keys and more in-depth theory, inside the Guitar GPS Method, I'll systematically build your skills, knowledge, and creativity in an easy to follow leveled system of gamified courses and popular songs.
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