My Chord Finder
Csus4
C3 (1) · F3 (4) · G3 (5) · C4 (1) · F4 (4)
C sus 4 chord guitar
Csus4 is C, F and G — degrees 1, 4 and 5. C major is C, E and G, so the third E steps up a half step to F.
Csus4
C3 (1) · F3 (4) · G3 (5) · F4 (4) · G4 (5)
Csus4
C3 (1) · F3 (4) · C4 (1) · F4 (4) · G4 (5)
Csus4 is C, F, G (1, 4, 5). C major is C, E, G: the third E is replaced by the fourth F. On the fretboard the third moves up a half step, E to F.
× mute · ○ open · green root · terracotta other chord tones
Numbers show a suggested finger: 1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 pinky. A bar means one finger holds several strings.
Hear where Csus4 sits between C and Csus2
The page opens on Csus4. Press C and the third comes back as E; press Csus2 and the middle note drops to D. The C and the G never move, so listening to the middle of the chord is enough to tell the three apart.
Csus4 is C and G with F in the middle
C major is C, E and G. Csus4 keeps the C and the G and lifts the third a half step to F, one fret on the same string. The interval from C to F is a perfect fourth, and that is the 4 in the name. Nothing in the chord is major or minor any more.
Charts print c sus4 chord or c sus 4 guitar chord, and beginners often type c sus guitar chord or c sus chord guitar. Those four spellings describe one chord: C, F and G. The written form Csus4 is what you will see in most songbooks, and the number is always part of the name.
The open shape is X 3 3 0 1 1: C on the fifth string, F on the fourth, the open G, then C and F again on the top two strings. It uses four fingers and leaves the low E string out. If you know the small-barre F, X X 3 2 1 1, you already know most of this grip: the D, B and top strings sit at the same frets.
The Csus4 shapes and the naming question
X 3 3 0 1 1 is the shape most players reach for: two fingers on the third fret, the two top strings held at the first fret. X 3 3 0 1 3 is the same grip with the top string moved to the third fret, which replaces the high F with a high G and makes the chord sound calmer. X 3 3 0 6 3 frets the top two strings at the sixth and third frets instead of the first, and X 3 3 5 6 3 keeps the two low notes at the third fret and moves the top three up, which is the shape to use when the chord has to sit higher on the neck.
The Cadd4 question comes up because the two names look alike. Cadd4 keeps the third E as well: C, E, F and G, four different notes. Csus4 has three: the E is not in it at all. On a guitar chart, C4 is the usual short way of writing Csus4, and it is not the same as an added fourth. If you want the added note, the chart has to say add4 or add11.
Between Csus4 and Csus2 the only difference is the middle note: F against D. C major's E sits a half step below the F, so the move from Csus2 to Csus4 passes the major third on the way up. The two shapes are not neighbours on the fretboard, but the tool above plays them one after the other so you can hear the middle of the chord change.
| Shape | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes with degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Open position | X 3 3 0 1 1 | C3 (1) · F3 (4) · G3 (5) · C4 (1) · F4 (4) |
| Open strings with frets 3 to 6 | X 3 3 0 6 3 | C3 (1) · F3 (4) · G3 (5) · F4 (4) · G4 (5) |
| No open strings, frets 3 to 6 | X 3 3 5 6 3 | C3 (1) · F3 (4) · C4 (1) · F4 (4) · G4 (5) |
| Open position | X 3 3 0 1 3 | C3 (1) · F3 (4) · G3 (5) · C4 (1) · G4 (5) |
Where Csus4 turns up
The short version is C, Csus4, C inside a bar. The F holds for a beat and falls back to E. Csus4 also works in front of the first chord from the two chords that lead to it: F, Csus4, C and G, Csus4, C both arrive home when the E returns, and the F in the suspended chord is already part of the F chord before it.
Hymn and worship charts use it as a held chord rather than a passing one. A C chord with the melody sitting on F is written Csus4 and stays there for a whole line, which is why the shape is worth practising on its own instead of only as a flick between two chords. In C major the fourth degree is F, so a chord built on F over a C bass is the same three notes spelled from F: F, G, C.
Questions people ask about Csus4
Is a C4 chord the same as a Csus4, or a Cadd4?
On a chord chart, C4 usually means Csus4: C, F and G, just a shorter name for the same three notes. Cadd4 is a different chord, because the third stays and the fourth is added on top, giving C, E, F and G with four notes. If the chart wanted the added note it would say add4. Roman numerals use the digit differently: IV with a 4 means the second inversion of a triad, which is a way of stacking a chord, not a chord name.
How do you play Csus4?
Leave the low E string quiet, put the ring finger on the third fret of the A string and the pinky on the third fret of the D string, keep the G string open, then hold the index finger on the first fret of the B string and the middle finger on the first fret of the top string. That is X 3 3 0 1 1. The two first-fret strings are both C and F, so a short barre with the index finger across them also works.
What is the difference between Csus2 and Csus4?
The middle note. Take the same two outer notes, C and G, and put D in the middle for Csus2 or F for Csus4. D sits a whole step above the root and F a whole step below the fifth, and C major's E falls between them, which is why Csus4 feels closer to resolving to C than Csus2 does.
Does Csus4 have to go back to C?
No. The pull is real because F wants to fall a half step to E, but the chord is complete on its own and charts hold it for as long as the melody keeps the F. What you should not do is play it where the tune needs the third: if the melody has E, Csus4 will fight it.
Which Csus4 shape should I start with?
X 3 3 0 1 1 for strumming, because the open G string between the C and the F keeps the chord ringing. When the chord has to sit higher up, X 3 3 5 6 3 holds the two low notes at the third fret and moves the top three, so it fits under a chorus without changing the bass note. The barred C shape does not turn into a comfortable Csus4, because the fourth needs its own finger on a string that the barre would otherwise cover.