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C seventh, suspended fourth

How to play C7sus4 — Seventh, suspended fourth

C7sus4 (Seventh, suspended fourth)C · F · G · B♭

♭
✕33311CFA♯CF
✕✕2341CFA♯C
3fr✕13141CGA♯FG
8fr131411CGA♯FGC
Hand position for C7sus4 — from the Picture Chord Pocket Guide.

Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)

C seventh, suspended fourth — notes and structure

The C7sus4 chord is a dominant seventh with the third suspended to the fourth — an unresolved, gospel-tinged sound.

The C7sus4 seventh, suspended fourth consists of the notes C, F, G, B♭. Its interval structure is R–4–5–7 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.

C7sus4 stacks a perfect fourth (F), a perfect fifth (G) and a minor seventh (B♭) above the root C.

The finder shows 4 ways to play C7sus4 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 10th fret. 3 of them use a barre.

What key is C7sus4 in?

Every note of C7sus4 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.

  • F major — the V chord
  • B♭ major — the II chord
  • E♭ major — the VI chord
  • A♭ major — the III chord

Chords that go with C7sus4

In F major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put C7sus4 next to these:

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the C seventh, suspended fourth chord?
The C7sus4 chord contains the notes C, F, G, B♭. It is a dominant seventh with the third suspended to the fourth — an unresolved, gospel-tinged sound.
How many ways can you play C7sus4 on guitar?
4 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
Is C7sus4 a hard chord to play?
Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
What key does C7sus4 belong to?
C7sus4 fits F major (where it is the V chord), B♭ major (where it is the II chord), E♭ major (where it is the VI chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.