G#7sus4 Chord on Guitar
G#7sus4 = G# – C# – D# – F# (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th)
G#7sus4 combines the suspended fourth's forward lean with the dominant seventh's pull toward resolution, and like F#7sus4 and G7sus4 lower on the neck, the resulting shape is sparse — only two fret positions across all six strings.
G#-C#-D#-F#: root, perfect fourth, fifth, and minor seventh, with the root doubled at both ends of the barre and no third present at all. Without a third the chord doesn't commit to major or minor, but it keeps the dominant seventh's forward pull toward C# major, which is why 7sus4 chords are such a common cadential device in gospel and rock: the resolution is suspended one beat longer, heightening the eventual release into either G#7 itself or straight into the tonic.
Fingerings
Barre (4th fret)
How to Practice It
Because this shape uses only two fret positions, it's one of the easier extended barres to fret cleanly even at the fourth fret — get the barre solid first, then add the single additional finger for the fourth without disturbing it. Practice the classic move from G#7sus4 into G#7 by lowering that one finger a half step.
Common Progressions
- G#7sus4 – G#7 – C# (V7sus4 – V7 – I, the classic gospel/rock cadential move)
- C# – G#7sus4 – G#7 – C# (I – V7sus4 – V7 – I)
- G#7sus4 – C# (a direct suspended resolution straight to the tonic, skipping the plain dominant)
- F# – G#7sus4 – G#7 – C# (IV – V7sus4 – V7 – I, a fuller cadential run)
FAQ
- What's missing from G#7sus4 compared to G#7?
- The third is gone, replaced by the perfect fourth, so the chord keeps the dominant seventh's forward pull toward C# major but loses the note that would otherwise mark it clearly as major.
- How does G#7sus4 typically resolve?
- Most often down to G#7 first, by lowering the fourth a half step to the third, and then on to C# major — a two-stage resolution that's a staple of gospel and rock cadences.
- Is G#7sus4 easy to fret?
- Yes — it only uses two distinct fret positions across the whole shape, making it one of the more approachable extended barres in this family.
- Is the suspended fourth here just decorative, or does it change how the cadence feels?
- It genuinely changes the feel — delaying the third for even a single beat turns an otherwise routine V–I move into something the ear waits on, so the eventual arrival at the tonic lands with more weight than it would coming straight off a plain dominant.
- Is this chord ever labeled Ab7sus4?
- Yes, in flat-key charts, though the pitches and fingering remain identical regardless of the spelling used.
Related: how chords are built, chord finder.