D7sus4 is a D7 whose third has been swapped for the fourth: G instead of F#. Take that note away and the chord stops being major or minor. It hangs in the air, waiting. Guitarists use it for a bar or a beat right before D7 or D, to make the arrival sound earned. In open position it is the D7 shape with one finger moved, so you can add it to songs today.
D7sus4 chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: D dominant seventh suspended fourth
- Symbol: D7sus4
- Notes: D, G, A, C
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| D7sus4, open | xx0213 | D A C G | The everyday version: open D7 with the high E pushed up one fret. All four notes. |
| D7sus4, fifth fret barre | x57585 | D A C G A | The A7sus4 barre shape. Complete and movable; resolve it by moving the fourth finger to fret 7. |
| D7sus4, tenth fret barre | 10 12 10 12 10 10 | D A C G A D | The E7sus4 barre shape, root on the low E. Six strings, full and ringing. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
D7sus4 on the neck: every D, G, A, C
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of D7sus4: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still D7sus4.
From D7 to D7sus4, one finger
Start on open D7, xx0212: second finger on the G string at
fret 2, first finger on the B string at fret 1, third finger on the high E
at fret 2. Now slide the third finger up one fret to fret 3. That is
D7sus4, xx0213.
| String | Fret | Note | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low E, A | x | none | Not played |
| D | 0 | D | Root |
| G | 2 | A | Fifth |
| B | 1 | C | Flat seventh |
| High E | 3 | G | Fourth (replaces F#) |
How it resolves
The suspended fourth, G, wants to fall a half step to F#. When it does, D7sus4 becomes D7, and D7 in turn wants to go to G. Put the two steps together and you get one of the most natural moves in folk, pop and blues.
| Change | Shapes | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| D7sus4, D7, G | xx0213, xx0212, 320003 | The top string goes G, F#, G: tension, release, home. |
| D, D7sus4, D | xx0232, xx0213, xx0232 | A bar of D with a lift on the last beat. Common in folk strumming. |
| C, D7sus4, D7, G | x32010, xx0213, xx0212, 320003 | IV, then a suspended V that settles before going home. |
On the barre shape the same resolution is one finger too: from x57585 move the fourth finger from fret 8 to fret 7 on the B string, and you are
on the A7 shaped D7, x57575.
D7sus4, Dsus4 and D7: three close cousins
| Chord | Shape | Notes | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dsus4 | xx0233 | D, G, A | Suspended, wants to fall back to D |
| D7sus4 | xx0213 | D, G, A, C | Suspended and open, points to D7 and G |
| D7 | xx0212 | D, F#, A, C | Dominant, pulls to G |
Dsus4 and D7sus4 differ on the B string only: fret 3 gives D, fret 1 gives C. The same suspended seventh sound exists in other keys, for example E7sus4, and the plain D chord is where all of these start.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play D7sus4 on guitar?
What notes are in D7sus4?
What is the difference between Dsus4 and D7sus4?
Where does D7sus4 resolve?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.