Skip to content

Guitar chords · Suspended 4th

D♭sus4 chord on guitar (Dbsus4)

D♭sus4 (D♭ 4th) has three notes: D♭, G♭ and A♭, the , 4 and 5.

Shapes

How to play D♭sus4

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

D♭sus4 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 4 or the E shape at fret 9. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 4

    4fr×R5R45D♭A♭D♭G♭A♭
  • E shape · fret 9

    9frR5R45RD♭A♭D♭G♭A♭D♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes D♭sus4 suspended 4th

A sus4 chord replaces the 3rd with the 4th. The 4th wants to fall back to the 3rd, so a sus4 chord usually resolves to the major chord on the same .

  • 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 makes D♭sus4 a 4th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. D♭Rroot
  2. G♭4essential
  3. A♭5optional
EADGBE0135791215D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭G♭A♭G♭G♭A♭G♭A♭A♭G♭A♭G♭A♭G♭A♭G♭
  • D♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

D♭sus4 usually resolves to D♭, as the 4th falls to the 3rd.

D♭sus4 and C♯sus4 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with D♭sus4

D♭sus4 belongs to ten keys: A major (IIIsus4, spelled C♯sus4), E major (VIsus4, spelled C♯sus4), C♭ major (IIsus4), G♭ major (Vsus4), D♭ major (Isus4), F♯ minor (Vsus4, spelled C♯sus4), C♯ minor (Isus4, spelled C♯sus4), A♭ minor (IVsus4), E♭ minor (VIIsus4) and B♭ minor (IIIsus4).

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

D♭sus4 over another bass note

A keeps D♭sus4 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • D♭sus4/A♭

    D♭sus4 with its 5th, A♭, in the bass.

Questions

D♭sus4, in short

What notes are in the D♭sus4 chord?
D♭sus4 (D♭ 4th) has three notes: D♭, G♭ and A♭, the , 4 and 5.
How do you play D♭sus4 on guitar?
D♭sus4 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 4 or the E shape at fret 9.
What key is D♭sus4 in?
D♭sus4 belongs to ten keys: A major (IIIsus4, spelled C♯sus4), E major (VIsus4, spelled C♯sus4), C♭ major (IIsus4), G♭ major (Vsus4), D♭ major (Isus4), F♯ minor (Vsus4, spelled C♯sus4), C♯ minor (Isus4, spelled C♯sus4), A♭ minor (IVsus4), E♭ minor (VIIsus4) and B♭ minor (IIIsus4).
Is D♭sus4 the same as C♯sus4?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. D♭sus4 is the spelling in C♭ major, G♭ major, D♭ major, A♭ minor, E♭ minor and B♭ minor; C♯sus4 in A major, E major, B major, F♯ major, C♯ major, F♯ minor, C♯ minor, G♯ minor, D♯ minor and A♯ minor.
All guitar chords