My Chord Finder
Gsus4
G2 (1) · C3 (4) · D3 (5) · G3 (1) · D4 (5) · G4 (1)
G sus4 guitar chord
Gsus4 is G, C and D — degrees 1, 4 and 5. G major is G, B and D, so the third B steps up a half step to C.
Gsus4
G2 (1) · C3 (4) · D3 (5) · C4 (4) · D4 (5) · G4 (1)
Gsus4
G2 (1) · C3 (4) · G3 (1) · C4 (4) · D4 (5) · G4 (1)
Gsus4 is G, C, D (1, 4, 5). G major is G, B, D: the third B is replaced by the fourth C. On the fretboard the third moves up a half step, B to C.
× 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.
Three G shapes, one finger apart
Gsus4 is the shape this tool opens on. Press Gsus2 to hear the other suspended G, or G to hear the third return; the fret numbers, the sounding notes and the degrees below the diagrams follow the button you press.
Gsus4 moves the third up to C
G major is G, B and D. Gsus4 holds the G and the D and lifts the third to C, so the chord no longer sounds major and no longer sounds minor. The C sits a perfect fourth above the root, which is where the 4 in the name comes from.
Charts and search boxes write gsus4 chord guitar, g sus 4 chord, g sus4 guitar or g sus 4 guitar chord. The extra space changes nothing: every one of those names means the same three notes, G, C and D, in any order.
On the guitar the chord lives on all six strings at the fifth fret and below. The C appears twice in the common shapes, on the third fret of the A string and on the first fret of the B string, and those two C's are what make the chord sound suspended rather than plain.
Choosing between the open Gsus4 shapes
3 3 0 0 3 3 is the shape most players finger first: index on the third fret of the low E string, middle on the A string, ring on the B string and pinky on the top string, with the open D and G strings ringing between them. 3 3 0 0 1 3 keeps the same bottom strings and moves the index to the first fret of the B string, so C sits above the open G instead of the fifth D.
The other two rows move up the neck. 3 3 0 5 3 3 puts a high C on the fifth fret of the G string and keeps the B and top strings at the third fret for D and G, and 3 3 5 5 3 3 closes the chord completely with both top strings fretted. Because the two low notes never move, the bass of Gsus4 sounds the same in all four shapes.
The two G shapes you will compare this with are Gsus2, which reads 3 0 0 0 3 3 with the A on the open A string, and plain G, which reads 3 2 0 0 0 3 with the B on the second fret of the A string. All three keep the open D and G strings ringing.
| Shape | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes with degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Open position | 3 3 0 0 3 3 | G2 (1) · C3 (4) · D3 (5) · G3 (1) · D4 (5) · G4 (1) |
| Open strings with frets 3 to 5 | 3 3 0 5 3 3 | G2 (1) · C3 (4) · D3 (5) · C4 (4) · D4 (5) · G4 (1) |
| No open strings, frets 3 to 5 | 3 3 5 5 3 3 | G2 (1) · C3 (4) · G3 (1) · C4 (4) · D4 (5) · G4 (1) |
| Open position | 3 3 0 0 1 3 | G2 (1) · C3 (4) · D3 (5) · G3 (1) · C4 (4) · G4 (1) |
Where Gsus4 turns up
The most common use is a suspension inside one bar: G, Gsus4, G. G is 3 2 0 0 0 3 and Gsus4 is 3 3 0 0 1 3, so two things happen at once: the finger on the A string moves from the second fret to the third, turning B into C, and the B string goes from open to the first fret for a second C. Nothing else moves. Country, folk and worship charts use this move constantly because it delays the arrival without adding a new chord.
The 4 also appears over the two chords that lead home in G: C, Gsus4, G and D, Gsus4, G. In both cases the suspension arrives on a bass note that is not the root, the ear hears the C ring for a beat, and the chord lands when the B returns. Play Gsus4 instead of G at the end of a phrase and the last chord sounds unsettled; that is the whole effect, and it is why the shape is more often a step than a destination.
Questions people ask about Gsus4
What is Gsus?
A chart that prints Gsus without a number means Gsus4: G, C and D, the four suspended instead of the third. Gsus2 exists as well and reads G, A and D, but when a writer wants the second they spell it out, because plain sus has been shorthand for sus4 for as long as the symbol has been printed.
How do you play Gsus4?
3 3 0 0 3 3 takes four fingers: index on the third fret of the low E string, middle on the third fret of the A string, ring on the third fret of the B string and pinky on the third fret of the top string, with the D and G strings open. For 3 3 0 0 1 3 the two low frets stay the same but the fingers change to middle and ring, the index takes the first fret of the B string and the pinky stays on the third fret of the top string. To hear the one-note difference: 3 3 0 0 3 3 puts D on the B string, 3 3 0 0 1 3 puts C there.
Is Gsus4 the same as G?
No, one note is different. G is G, B and D; Gsus4 is G, C and D. B and C are one fret apart, so between the open G, 3 2 0 0 0 3, and the Gsus4 shape 3 3 0 0 1 3 the change is one fret on the A string and one on the B string.
Does Gsus4 have to resolve to G?
It does not have to, and plenty of songs sit on the suspended chord for a whole section. The pull towards G is real, though, because the ear expects C to come back down to B. If you hold Gsus4 instead, the music stays open; the moment you return to G, the phrase sounds finished.
Do the Gsus4 shapes change with a capo or an open tuning?
Not as written. Every row assumes standard tuning E A D G B E with no capo, and in the open shapes the D and G strings already sound two of the three chord notes. Put a capo on and the open strings move with it, so the shape has to be refingered; the same is true of the open G and open D tunings, where the strings are tuned to chord tones already.