Dsus4 Chord on Guitar
Dsus4 = D – G – A (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th)
Dsus4 trades the third for a perfect fourth, and where sus2 floats without picking a side, this suspension actively leans somewhere — the ear registers it as a note in mid-fall rather than a resting point. Because the shape at the tenth fret is almost a carbon copy of the plain D major barre one finger away, resolving out of it costs almost nothing physically even up in this tighter part of the neck.
D, G, and A spell out root, fourth, fifth, and the interval doing all the work here is the narrow gap between G and F# — the note a plain major triad would use in the same spot. That proximity is exactly why the ear hears G as borrowed, temporary, waiting to drop down; lift the fretting finger back one fret and D major arrives, the harmonic equivalent of letting go of a held breath.
Fingerings
Barre (10th fret)
How to Practice It
Since only a single finger has to travel a single fret to get from this shape back to the plain major triad, it's a cheap embellishment to add even at a cramped, high-up fret position where bigger movements would be riskier. What separates a convincing version from an accidental-sounding one is timing rather than fingering — landing the sus4 just ahead of the beat and the resolved major chord squarely on it is the detail that sells the effect.
Common Progressions
- Dsus4 – D – G (the classic sus4-to-major resolution before moving on)
- D – Dsus4 – D – G (a rhythm-guitar embellishment pattern)
- Dsus4 – D – A – Bm (a pop progression using sus4 as a pickup color)
- G – Dsus4 – D (IV – Isus4 – I)
FAQ
- Why does Dsus4 feel unresolved compared to Dsus2?
- Its fourth borders the pitch a plain major third would occupy in that same spot, so the ear treats it as a note on its way somewhere rather than settled, whereas sus2's second sits a wider gap away and reads as open rather than pulled.
- What's the standard technique for using Dsus4?
- Strum the sus4 shape, then drop the fretting finger back one fret onto the major third — a low-effort move that rock, country, and pop rhythm guitar all reach for constantly.
- Is Dsus4 easier to finger than Dsus2 at this position?
- Considerably — sus4 typically shifts just one finger by a single fret from the plain major shape, whereas sus2 asks for a noticeably wider reach.
- Does Dsus4 ever stay unresolved in a progression?
- Less often than sus2, since its pull toward resolution is strong enough that leaving it hanging tends to sound like an interrupted phrase.
- What single note separates D major from Dsus4?
- Only the third versus the fourth — G replaces F#, a single half-step shift that completely changes the chord's character from settled to expectant.
- Is there a lower-position alternative to this tenth-fret sus4?
- Yes — the familiar open-position Dsus4 near the nut reaches the same pitch collection several frets lower, and is generally the version beginners learn first.
- Does Dsus4 ever appear as a chord in its own right rather than an embellishment?
- Occasionally in more experimental or ambient guitar writing, yes, though its strong pull toward resolution makes lingering on it feel unusual compared to how comfortably a sus2 or add9 chord can sit unresolved.
Dsus4 on other instruments: Dsus4 on Piano, Dsus4 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.