3 notes · 1 · 4 · 5

D Suspended Fourth Piano Chord (Dsus4)

Dsus4 is built from D, G and A — the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above D. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

D Suspended fourth

Notes

D · G · A

Formula

1 · 4 · 5

Right hand

1 · 4 · 5

Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).

The finder above already holds Dsus4. Press P or the Play chord button to hear D, G, A sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in Dsus4

A suspended fourth chord replaces the third with the fourth degree. The fourth sits one semitone above the major third and leans onto it, so a sus4 is usually heard as a delay that resolves into the plain triad underneath it.

Each tone of D suspended fourth with its interval, scale degree, distance in semitones from D and a suggested right-hand finger.
Note	Interval	Degree	Semitones	Right hand
Dwhite key	Root	1	0	1 · thumb
Gwhite key	Perfect fourth	4	5	4 · ring finger
Awhite key	Perfect fifth	5	7	5 · little finger

Step by step

How to play Dsus4 on piano

Find D: it is the white key between the two black keys of a group of two.
Build upwards from D using 5 and 7 semitones to reach G and A.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on D, finger 4 on G and finger 5 on A. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
Every note here is a white key, so you can sit your hand slightly further out from the fallboard.
Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how Dsus4 settles.
Try first inversion as well: G – A – D. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

Dsus4 in 3 positions

An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.

Root position

D – G – A

The root D is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.

First inversion

G – A – D

G is the lowest note, so the perfect fourth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

Second inversion

A – D – G

A is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

In context

Which keys contain Dsus4

In C major the chord functions as iisus4. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 10 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

C majoriisus4
D majorIsus4
F majorvisus4
G majorVsus4
B♭ majoriiisus4
D minorisus4
E minorVIIsus4
G minorvsus4
A minorivsus4
B minorIIIsus4

Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.

Compare

Dsus4 against D major

Dsus4 and D major share D and A. Moving the major third F# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth G turns D major into Dsus4.

Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes D, A still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.

Open D major →

Good questions

Dsus4 questions

What notes are in the Dsus4 chord?

Dsus4 contains D, G and A. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above D.

What is the right-hand fingering for Dsus4?

A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on D, 4 (ring finger) on G and 5 (little finger) on A. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.

How is Dsus4 different from D major?

Dsus4 and D major share D and A. Moving the major third F# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth G turns D major into Dsus4.

Which keys use the Dsus4 chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (iisus4), D major (Isus4), F major (visus4), G major (Vsus4), B♭ major (iiisus4) and D minor (isus4) among others. The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of Dsus4?

root position is D – G – A, first inversion is G – A – D and second inversion is A – D – G. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.