Understand and Play C7sus4 Guitar Chord Shapes

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The C7sus4 chord, a C seventh suspended fourth, combines C, F, G and Bb: a root, a perfect fourth, a perfect fifth and a flat seventh. Take away the F and add an E, and you have a C dominant seventh, the chord that this one resolves toward.

Three shapes are listed, two with a barre, from fret 1 to fret 10. Switch on the labels in the fretboard player at the top to see each note named. The C Mixolydian scale contains all four, and intervals on the fretboard explains how the fourth and flat seventh are laid out.

C dominant 7th suspended 4th guitar chord is also written as C7sus4, C7sus or C7(sus4).

C 7sus4 chord Notes:

C F G Bb

Tones of the Dominant Seventh Suspended Fourth chord:

Formula: 1 4 5 b7

C 7sus4 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the B string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the G string

Position 2 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the A, G and high E strings at the same time
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the B string

Position 3 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the low E, D, B and high E strings at the same time
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the A string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the G string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in C7sus4?

C7sus4 (C seventh suspended fourth) is made of C, F, G and Bb. That is a root, a perfect fourth, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. The third is not part of the chord.

How is C7sus4 different from a C dominant seventh chord?

C7 is C, E, G and Bb. C7sus4 swaps the third E for the fourth F and keeps G and Bb. That removes the major sound and leaves the chord open.

How many ways are there to play C7sus4?

C7sus4 has 3 voicings, running from fret 1 up to fret 10. Two of them use a barre, and none uses open strings.

Which scale fits C seventh suspended fourth?

The C Mixolydian Scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb) contains C, F, G and Bb. Every chord note is a member of it.