Which notes are in the Csus4 chord?

Csus4 contains the notes C, F and G. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 4 – 5.

How many ways can you play Csus4?

Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Csus4, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the Csus4 chord hard to play?

Csus4 requires a barre, so it can feel demanding at first. Keeping the index finger straight and pressing from the wrist rather than the thumb makes it noticeably easier.

C suspended 4th · Guitar

Csus4 Chord on Guitar

The Csus4 chord (C suspended 4th) is built from the notes C, F and G. 2 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1barre shape · starts at fret 3

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 3 — index finger
string 4 (D): fret 5 — middle finger
string 3 (G): fret 5 — ring finger
string 2 (B): fret 6 — little finger
string 1 (E): fret 3 — index finger

Position 2barre shape · starts at fret 8

Fingering

string 6 (E): fret 8 — index finger
string 5 (A): fret 10 — middle finger
string 4 (D): fret 10 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 10 — little finger
string 2 (B): fret 8 — index finger
string 1 (E): fret 8 — index finger

Notes in this chord

Degrees: 1 – 4 – 5

How to play

Every guitar shape for Csus4 needs a barre, and the lowest one starts at fret 3. Keep the index finger straight and as close to the fret wire as possible, and let the wrist rather than the thumb supply the pressure.

Theory behind the chord

Suspended fourth chords replace the third with a fourth, so they sound unresolved on purpose. Releasing the fourth back down to the third is one of the oldest and most satisfying moves in songwriting. On Csus4 this structure sits on the root C, so the degrees 1 – 4 – 5 map onto C, F and G.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the Csus4 chord?: Csus4 contains the notes C, F and G. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 4 – 5.
How many ways can you play Csus4?: Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Csus4, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
Is the Csus4 chord hard to play?: Csus4 requires a barre, so it can feel demanding at first. Keeping the index finger straight and pressing from the wrist rather than the thumb makes it noticeably easier.

Practise Csus4 on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.