Tools / Chords / C suspended 4th

C suspended 4th chord on guitar (Csus4)

Also written Csus4, Csus or C Suspended

C suspended 4th is built from C, F, and G. The open voicing is a quick, three-finger shape that suits intermediate players.

Open · F on top×-3-3-0-1-1

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

C1Root

F4Perfect 4th

G5Perfect 5th

Formula 1, 4, 5

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionC–F–GCsus4Bass C

First inversionF–G–CCsus4/FBass F

Second inversionG–C–FCsus4/GBass G

Why it sounds like that

C suspended 4th uses the formula 1, 4, 5, replacing the major 3rd with a perfect 4th. That perfect 4th between C and F gives the chord its suspended, unresolved quality. Compare it to C major, which has a major 3rd instead.

What goes wrong with C suspended 4th?

The 6th string rings open and adds an E that is not part of C suspended 4th.
The index finger flattens and mutes the 3rd string, killing the open G.
The barre does not press both the 2nd and 1st strings, leaving one dead.

When to use it

C suspended 4th works as a passing chord in C major progressions like I–IV–V–I (C–F–G–C) or I–V–vi–IV (C–G–A minor–F). It suits folk, rock, and pop styles where the suspended sound resolves to C major.

Changing to and from C suspended 4th

Move to C major by lifting the index finger from the 2nd string and placing it on the 2nd fret of the 4th string, changing F to E.

Which voicing to use

The open voicing is the easiest and most common, with the root C on the 5th string. The Csus4/F inversion puts F in the bass, giving a softer, less grounded sound.

How do you play a C suspended 4th chord on guitar?

Open · F on top

Barre● On the diagram

C suspended 4th is played in open position as × 3 3 0 1 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, middle finger on the A string at fret 3 and ring finger on the D string at fret 3. The G string rings open. The low E string stays muted.

Tip — The index finger must barre the B and e strings cleanly while the middle and ring fingers hold the 3rd fret.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	3	2	C (1)
4 (D)	3	3	F (4)
3 (G)	open	—	G (5)
2 (B)	1	1 (barre)	C (1)
1 (e)	1	1 (barre)	F (4)

Open · G on top

Beginner

C suspended 4th is played in open position as × 3 3 0 1 3: middle finger on the A string at fret 3, ring finger on the D string at fret 3, index finger on the B string at fret 1 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. The G string rings open. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	3	2	C (1)
4 (D)	3	3	F (4)
3 (G)	open	—	G (5)
2 (B)	1	1	C (1)
1 (e)	3	4	G (5)

8th fret · 8-8-10-10-8-8

Barre

C suspended 4th is played at the 8th fret as 8 8 10 10 8 8: barre your index finger across fret 8, ring finger on the D string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 10.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	8	1 (barre)	C (1)
5 (A)	8	1 (barre)	F (4)
4 (D)	10	3	C (1)
3 (G)	10	4	F (4)
2 (B)	8	1 (barre)	G (5)
1 (e)	8	1 (barre)	C (1)

8th fret · 8-10-10-10-8-8

Barre

C suspended 4th is played at the 8th fret as 8 10 10 10 8 8: barre your index finger across fret 8, middle finger on the A string at fret 10, ring finger on the D string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 10.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	8	1 (barre)	C (1)
5 (A)	10	2	G (5)
4 (D)	10	3	C (1)
3 (G)	10	4	F (4)
2 (B)	8	1 (barre)	G (5)
1 (e)	8	1 (barre)	C (1)

Csus4/F inversion

Beginner

C suspended 4th is played in open position as 1 3 3 0 1 ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 1, ring finger on the A string at fret 3, pinky finger on the D string at fret 3 and middle finger on the B string at fret 1. The G string rings open. The high e string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	1	1	F (4)
5 (A)	3	3	C (1)
4 (D)	3	4	F (4)
3 (G)	open	—	G (5)
2 (B)	1	2	C (1)
1 (e)	muted	—	—

Common questions

How is C suspended 4th written?

C suspended 4th is written as Csus or Csus4. The symbol Csus is understood to mean suspended 4th.

What is the difference between C suspended 4th and C major?

C suspended 4th replaces the major 3rd (E) with a perfect 4th (F). This creates a suspended, unresolved sound that typically resolves back to C major.

Can C suspended 4th be used in place of C major?

C suspended 4th can substitute for C major when you want to delay resolution. It works especially well before a C major chord in a progression.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

C (1)

4 (D)

F (4)

3 (G)

open

—

G (5)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

C (1)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

F (4)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

C (1)

4 (D)

F (4)

3 (G)

open

—

G (5)

2 (B)

C (1)

1 (e)

G (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

C (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

F (4)

4 (D)

C (1)

3 (G)

F (4)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

G (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

C (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

C (1)

5 (A)

G (5)

4 (D)

C (1)

3 (G)

F (4)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

G (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

C (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F (4)

5 (A)

C (1)

4 (D)

F (4)

3 (G)

open

—

G (5)

2 (B)

C (1)

1 (e)

muted

—