Read left to right, 6th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the B string (2nd).
- Middle finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string (6th).
- Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the A string (5th).
- Little finger on the 3rd fret of the high E string (1st).
- Let the D and G strings ring open.
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th (low E) | fret 3 | middle | G2 | root |
| 5th (A) | fret 3 | ring | C3 | fourth |
| 4th (D) | open | — | D3 | fifth |
| 3rd (G) | open | — | G3 | root |
| 2nd (B) | fret 1 | index | C4 | fourth |
| 1st (high E) | fret 3 | little | G4 | root |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
3 other ways to play Gsus4
The same 3 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- 335533A barre at the 3rd fret and two more fingers
- xx5788A shape at the 5th fret · four fingers
- x-10-0-0-8-8A shape at the 8th fret · three fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
33001x is Gsus4 without the full barre — fewer strings, the same chord. It is a real voicing, not a cheat, and plenty of players keep using it.
Holding it cleanly
2 strings ring open next to fretted ones. Arch the fingers so they come down on their tips — a finger lying flat will deaden the open string beside it, and the chord loses a note without sounding obviously wrong.
The notes in Gsus4
A suspended fourth chord is built from the root (1), 4 and 5 of its root’s major scale. From G that gives G – C – D. The third is pushed up to the fourth. It leans back down to the plain major chord, and is usually played just before it.
The same root, other chords: G major, Gm, G7, Gmaj7, Gm7, Gsus2, Gdim, Gaug.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a Gsus4 chord?
G suspended fourth is three notes: G – C – D — the root, 4 and 5 of the G major scale. On guitar the shape 330013 sounds G2, C3, D3, G3, C4 and G4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play Gsus4 on guitar?
The usual shape is 330013 — an open-position shape, with four fingers. If that is out of reach for now, 33001x is the same chord without the full barre.
What is the difference between Gsus4 and G?
Gsus4 replaces the third of G with the fourth (C). The fourth leans back down to the third, so Gsus4 is nearly always followed by G.