C#sus4 Chord on Ukulele
C#sus4 = C# – F# – G# (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th)
C sharp suspended fourth keeps the small two-string barre that C# major and C#m both use across the G and C strings at the first fret, then replaces the usual open-or-doubled A-string business with two more fretted notes: the middle finger reaching to the E string's second fret for the suspended fourth, and the pinky stretching further out to the A string's fourth fret for a doubled root. It ends up as one of the busier common shapes in this whole key, needing three separate finger jobs where several of C#'s other chords manage with two.
Swapping the third for the fourth scale degree gives this chord real forward pull — the fourth sits only a half-step above the third it's replacing, so the ear keeps expecting it to fall back down and resolve. C#sus4 works as the classic pre-resolution move right before a phrase lands on plain C# major, a device that folk, rock, and pop strumming all lean on regardless of key. Respelled as Dbsus4, it appears constantly in the same role inside Db-major arrangements adapted from horn or piano charts.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Build outward from the barre: set the G-C barre at the first fret first, then add the E string's second fret, and finally the A string's fourth fret reach last, since it's the largest single stretch of the three elements. Practicing the release into plain C# major — lifting the middle finger off the E string while the barre and the A-string reach both stay put — isolates exactly which single note carries the suspended tension and which two are shared between both chords.
Common Progressions
- C#sus4 - C#, the standard suspension-and-resolution move
- I(sus4) - I - IV - V (C#sus4 - C# - F# - G#)
- Respelled Dbsus4 - Db - Gb - Ab, the same motion in flat notation
- A repeated C#sus4-to-C# alternation works as a simple rhythmic vamp.
FAQ
- Why does C#sus4 need three separate finger jobs?
- The barre covers two strings, but the suspended fourth and the doubled root each need their own additional finger, since neither note falls conveniently within reach of the existing barre.
- How does C#sus4 resolve back to C# major?
- The middle finger lifts off the E string while the barre and the A-string reach both stay in place — a single-finger release, not a full hand reposition.
- Why does sus4 sound more urgent than sus2?
- The fourth scale degree sits only a half-step from the third it's suspending, a tighter, more insistent pull toward resolution than sus2's more open relationship to the third.
- What's the flat-key spelling of this chord?
- Dbsus4, more commonly seen in arrangements transposed from horn or piano charts.
- Is C#sus4 commonly used as a rhythmic flourish?
- Yes — a quick pre-beat suspension right before a downbeat landing on plain C# major is a common strumming-pattern habit borrowed from guitar accompaniment.
- Does C#sus4 share fingering with C#7?
- Not directly, though both add a note beyond plain C# major's barre on the fourth string at a different fret than the major triad's own pinky reach, which makes comparing them a useful lesson in how different added tones land physically.
- Which two notes does C#sus4 add beyond the barre's root and fifth?
- The E string's second fret supplies the suspended fourth, F#, while the A string's fourth fret doubles the root — together they're the two elements that turn C# major's simple three-string barre into this busier four-point shape.
- Does C#sus4 ever get used as a substitute for C#sus2 rather than for plain C#?
- Occasionally, when an arranger wants the stronger, more insistent pull of a suspended fourth instead of a suspended second's looser ambiguity, though the two chords aren't generally treated as interchangeable since they create noticeably different degrees of tension.
- Does the C#sus4 shape get any easier with regular practice, or does the three-finger spread always feel demanding?
- It does ease up — once the barre becomes automatic, the remaining two fingers are really just aiming for two fixed targets, so most of the early difficulty fades once the barre itself stops requiring conscious attention.
C#sus4 on other instruments: C#sus4 on Guitar, C#sus4 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.