Chords
C Suspended 4
C · F · G
Suspended fourth — the third replaced by a fourth, a semitone above where it wants to land.
Also written Csus
C Suspended 4
C · F · G
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | C3 · F3 · G3 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
C Suspended 4 (Csus4) contains the notes C · F · G, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of C Suspended 4 puts a chord tone other than C in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales C Suspended 4 belongs to.
In which keys
C Suspended 4 is diatonic to 10 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
C Suspended 4 fits inside these scales, each built on C.
- C Minor PentatonicC · Eb · F · G · Bb
- C Minor BluesC · Eb · F · Gb · G · Bb
- C MajorC · D · E · F · G · A · B
- C MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
- C Melodic MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · A · B
- C Harmonic MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · B
- C DorianC · D · Eb · F · G · A · Bb
- C MixolydianC · D · E · F · G · A · Bb
Understanding the C Suspended 4 chord
Names and symbols
Csus4 is the chord symbol for C Suspended 4; it is also written Csus.
sus on its own means sus4, and 7sus means 7sus4. sus2 is sometimes written add9(no3), which names the same notes from another angle.
How it is built
On C it is C · F · G: 1P · 4P · 5P. The fourth sits one semitone above the major third it displaced, which is why the ear hears it as leaning rather than resting.
How it is used
The classic gesture is sus4 resolving to the plain triad — the fourth falling to the third. It is the sound of a cadence being delayed, and it works equally well in a hymn, in The Who, and in a worship band.
On a dominant chord the same substitution gives 7sus4, which softens the dominant's pull without removing it.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Csus4?
- Csus4 contains C · F · G. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- Does a sus4 chord have to resolve?
- Classically yes, with the fourth falling to the third. In pop and rock it often stays unresolved as a colour in its own right.
- Is a sus4 chord major or minor?
- Neither. Replacing the third removes the chord's quality entirely.
- What notes are in the C Suspended 4 chord?
- The C Suspended 4 chord contains the notes C · F · G: the root C with the intervals 1P, 4P, 5P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally C, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the C Suspended 4 chord?
- Measured from C, the C Suspended 4 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 4P, 5P. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.