3 notes · 1 · 4 · 5

G Suspended Fourth Piano Chord (Gsus4)

Gsus4 is built from G, C and D — the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above G. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

G Suspended fourth

Notes

G · C · D

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 Gsus4. Press P or the Play chord button to hear G, C, D sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in Gsus4

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

Step by step

How to play Gsus4 on piano

Find G: it is the white key between the first and second black keys of a group of three.
Build upwards from G using 5 and 7 semitones to reach C and D.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on G, finger 4 on C and finger 5 on D. 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 Gsus4 settles.
Try first inversion as well: C – D – G. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

Gsus4 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

G – C – D

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

First inversion

C – D – G

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

Second inversion

D – G – C

D 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 Gsus4

In C major the chord functions as Vsus4. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 10 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

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

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

Gsus4 against G major

Gsus4 and G major share G and D. Moving the major third B up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth C turns G major into Gsus4.

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

Open G major →

Good questions

Gsus4 questions

What notes are in the Gsus4 chord?

Gsus4 contains G, C and D. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above G.

What is the right-hand fingering for Gsus4?

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

How is Gsus4 different from G major?

Gsus4 and G major share G and D. Moving the major third B up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth C turns G major into Gsus4.

Which keys use the Gsus4 chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (Vsus4), E♭ major (iiisus4), F major (iisus4), G major (Isus4), B♭ major (visus4) and C minor (vsus4) among others. The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of Gsus4?

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