Csus4 Chord on Ukulele
Csus4 = C – F – G (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th)
Csus4 keeps the G and C strings open, just like plain C major, but replaces the ring finger's third-fret A-string note with two other fretted notes: index finger on the E string's first fret, ring finger on the A string's third fret. Two fingers instead of one, and a genuinely different pair of pitches, even though two of the four strings stay exactly as open as they are in the plain triad.
A suspended fourth chord swaps the third for the fourth scale degree, creating a chord that leans forward, wanting to resolve — the fourth sits a half-step above the major third and pulls the ear to expect that note to fall back down. Csus4 is the classic "almost there" sound heard right before a chord resolves to its plain major triad, a device used constantly across folk, rock, and pop ukulele arrangements to add a beat of tension before landing on the tonic. Unlike sus2's more open ambiguity, sus4 has real directional pull — most listeners hear it as actively wanting to resolve rather than sitting comfortably on its own, which is why it's rarely held for long without moving somewhere.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
The two fretted notes sit on non-adjacent strings — E and A — with the open C string physically between them, so keep both fingers clear of that middle string while placing them. Practice the classic Csus4-to-C resolution by lifting the index finger off the E string and sliding the ring finger back one fret, from the third fret to... actually plain C keeps the ring finger at the third fret on the A string already, so the real motion is simply releasing the index finger from the E string's first fret — a satisfying one-finger release that makes the suspended tension resolve audibly. Try that release in time with a strum, right on the beat, to feel how a sus4-to-major resolution is meant to land rhythmically, not just harmonically.
Common Progressions
- Csus4 – C, the textbook suspension-and-resolution move
- I(sus4) – I – IV – V (Csus4 – C – F – G)
- IV – V – I(sus4) – I (F – G – Csus4 – C), delaying the final landing by one beat
- A repeated Csus4-to-C alternation works as a simple rhythmic vamp on its own.
FAQ
- What's the difference between sus2 and sus4?
- Sus2 replaces the chord's third with the second scale degree and sounds open and ambiguous; sus4 replaces it with the fourth scale degree instead, which sits closer to the third and creates a much stronger pull to resolve.
- How does Csus4 usually resolve?
- By moving to plain C major — on this fingering, simply releasing the index finger from the E string's first fret while the ring finger stays put, letting the suspended fourth fall back to the chord's third.
- Why does Csus4 sound more tense than Csus2?
- The fourth scale degree sits only a half-step from the major third it's suspending, creating a stronger gravitational pull toward that resolution than the second scale degree's more open, distant relationship to the third in Csus2.
- Is Csus4 common in ukulele strumming patterns?
- Yes — it's frequently used as a quick pre-beat suspension right before a downbeat landing on plain C, a rhythmic-harmonic device borrowed from folk and rock guitar strumming that translates naturally to ukulele.
- Can Csus4 be strummed on its own without resolving?
- It can, but doing so works against the chord's nature — sus4's whole character is built around forward motion toward resolution, so holding it unresolved for long tends to read as unfinished rather than as a deliberate, settled color choice.
- Does the fingering for Csus4 share anything with C7?
- Not directly in shape, but both add a note not found in plain C major on a different string than the ring finger's usual third-fret A-string spot, which makes comparing the two a useful lesson in how different added or substituted tones land in genuinely different physical places on the neck.
- Which note does Csus4 replace, and which note takes its place?
- It drops the major third, E, just as sus2 does, but replaces it with the fourth scale degree, F, instead of the second — a note only a half-step from the third it displaces, which is exactly why sus4 feels so eager to resolve back down.
Csus4 on other instruments: Csus4 on Guitar, Csus4 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.