C ninth, suspended fourth
How to play C9sus4 — Ninth, suspended fourth
C9sus4 (Ninth, suspended fourth)C · F · G · B♭ · D
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
C ninth, suspended fourth — notes and structure
The C9sus4 chord is a ninth chord with the third suspended — soulful and open.
The C9sus4 ninth, suspended fourth consists of the notes C, F, G, B♭, D. Its interval structure is R–4–5–7–9 — 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.
C9sus4 stacks a perfect fourth (F), a perfect fifth (G), a minor seventh (B♭) and a ninth (D) above the root C.
The finder shows 2 ways to play C9sus4 — movable shapes higher up the neck reaching up to the 8th fret. None of them need a barre.
What key is C9sus4 in?
Every note of C9sus4 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
- D minor — the VII chord
Chords that go with C9sus4
In F major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put C9sus4 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the C ninth, suspended fourth chord?
- The C9sus4 chord contains the notes C, F, G, B♭, D. It is a ninth chord with the third suspended — soulful and open.
- How many ways can you play C9sus4 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — movable shapes up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is C9sus4 a hard chord to play?
- It is a movable shape played higher up the neck rather than in open position, so it takes a little more hand strength.
- What key does C9sus4 belong to?
- C9sus4 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.