D#7sus4 Chord on Guitar
D#7sus4 = D# – G# – A# – C# (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th)
D#7sus4 needs only one extra finger beyond the barre — the leanest dominant-family shape in this entire D#-rooted set, tied with D#11 for simplicity — because the sus4 template replaces the third with a fourth on the same G string the flat seventh already occupies in the plain D#7 shape.
D#, G#, A#, and C# make up the chord — root, fourth, fifth, flat seventh, with no third present. As a suspended dominant resolving toward G#(Ab) major, D#7sus4 carries the same forward pull any dominant seventh has, filtered through the fourth's open, gospel-and-worship-favored color rather than the plain triad's more settled major or minor identity.
Fingerings
Barre (11th fret)
How to Practice It
Because it needs only one added finger, D#7sus4 is easy to strum cleanly even at this cramped eleventh-fret position, making it a good chord for isolating whether the barre itself is holding steady. Try resolving it directly into plain D#7 by moving that single finger down one fret, since that exact motion — sus4 down to the third — is the standard way this chord is used in worship and gospel-influenced progressions before the dominant fully resolves.
Common Progressions
- Ab – D#7sus4 – D#7 – Ab (a suspended-to-resolved dominant move in Ab major)
- D#7sus4 – G# (V7sus4 – I)
- C#m – D#7sus4 – G# (vi – V7sus4 – I)
- G# – D#7sus4 – G# (a suspended-dominant vamp around the tonic)
FAQ
- Why does D#7sus4 need only one extra finger?
- The fourth that replaces the third lands on the same G string the flat seventh already occupies in plain D#7, so the sus4 version simply repositions that one note rather than adding a genuinely new one to the shape.
- How does D#7sus4 typically get used?
- As a suspended lead-in to a full dominant resolution, common in gospel and worship-style guitar playing, where the suspended fourth is struck first and then resolved down to the third right before the chord moves on to its tonic.
- Where does D#7sus4 resolve?
- The same place plain D#7 does — down a fourth to G#(Ab) major — since both share the identical underlying dominant function, differing only in whether the third or fourth sits on top.
- Is D#7sus4 the easiest dominant-family chord in this set?
- Yes, tied with D#11 for needing only a single added finger beyond the barre, making both of them noticeably more approachable than the fuller D#9 or D#13 shapes at the same eleventh-fret position.
- How is D#7sus4 different from D#11, given both drop the third?
- D#11 drops both the third and fifth, keeping only the barre notes plus the eleventh, while D#7sus4 keeps the fifth and simply swaps the third for a fourth — related shapes, but built by omitting different notes.
- Why is this chord so common in worship and gospel guitar?
- The suspended-then-resolved dominant motion creates a natural, satisfying build-and-release feeling that fits the emotional arc those styles often favor, especially at the climax of a chord progression right before landing on the tonic.
- Does D#7sus4 ever stay unresolved rather than moving to D#7?
- In some more ambient or extended vamping sections, yes — the suspended dominant is sometimes held on its own for its open, anticipatory color rather than immediately resolved, though the classic usage treats it as a brief passing step.
Related: how chords are built, chord finder.