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Guitar chords · Dominant 7th suspended 4th

D7sus4 chord on guitar

D7sus4 (D 4th) has four notes: D, G, A and C, the , 4, 5 and ♭7.

Shapes

How to play D7sus4

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

D7sus4 has an , and two : the A shape at 5 and the E shape at fret 10. A movable shape keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • Open

    ××5♭74DACG
  • A shape · fret 5

    5fr×R5♭745DACGA
  • E shape · fret 10

    10frR5♭745RDACGAD
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes D7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th

A 7sus4 chord is a chord with the 4th in place of the 3rd. It keeps the 7th's pull but softens it, and resolves to the plain as the 4th falls to the 3rd, or straight to the chord a 5th below. It is common in folk, pop and soul.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 4th and the ♭7th make D7sus4 a 4th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. DRroot
  2. G4essential
  3. A5optional
  4. C♭7essential
EADGBE0135791215DDDDDDDDGACGACGACGACGACGACGACGACG
  • D, the root
  • Other chord tones

D7sus4 resolves to D7 as the 4th falls to the 3rd, or straight to G.

Keys

Keys with D7sus4

D7sus4 belongs to eight keys: C major (ii7sus4), G major (V7sus4), B♭ major (iii7sus4), F major (vi7sus4), A minor (iv7sus4), E minor (VII7sus4), G minor (v7sus4) and D minor (i7sus4).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

D7sus4 over another bass note

A keeps D7sus4 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • D7sus4/A

    D7sus4 with its 5th, A, in the bass.

  • D7sus4/C

    D7sus4 with its ♭7th, C, in the bass.

Questions

D7sus4, in short

What notes are in the D7sus4 chord?
D7sus4 (D 4th) has four notes: D, G, A and C, the , 4, 5 and ♭7.
How do you play D7sus4 on guitar?
D7sus4 has an , and two : the A shape at 5 and the E shape at fret 10.
What key is D7sus4 in?
D7sus4 belongs to eight keys: C major (ii7sus4), G major (V7sus4), B♭ major (iii7sus4), F major (vi7sus4), A minor (iv7sus4), E minor (VII7sus4), G minor (v7sus4) and D minor (i7sus4).
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