C♯sus4 chord
C♯sus4 is C♯, F♯ and G♯: 1–4–5 built on C♯. See and hear it on all three instruments below.
On guitar
x-4-6-6-7-4 · barre · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · F♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- x-4-6-6-7-4
C♯sus4 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · C♯–F♯–G♯ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · F♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
C♯sus4 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-1-2-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · F♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- 1-1-2-4
C♯sus4 and the chords around it
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- C♯sus4 → C♯ (resolves down to the third)
Guitar: C♯sus4 (x-4-6-6-7-4) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): your index, middle and ring fingers stay put, the pinky finger goes to the B string, 6th fret. That makes it one of the quickest changes from this chord. Shared notes: C♯ and G♯.
Piano: C♯sus4 to C♯: play C♯ in root position (C♯–E♯–G♯) and C♯ and G♯ stay under the same fingers, while F♯ moves down to E♯. C♯ - C♯sus4 → F♯ (IV in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯sus4 (x-4-6-6-7-4) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 4th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for C♯ and F♯, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: C♯sus4 to F♯: play F♯ in 2nd inversion (C♯–F♯–A♯) and C♯ and F♯ stay under the same fingers, while G♯ moves up to A♯. F♯ - C♯sus4 → A♭ (V in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯sus4 (x-4-6-6-7-4) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 5th fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 6th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for G♯, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: C♯sus4 to A♭: play A♭ in 1st inversion (C–E♭–A♭) and A♭ stays under the same finger, while C♯ moves down to C and F♯ down to E♭. A♭
Guitar with a capo: capo 4, Asus4 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Csus4 shape; capo 6, Gsus4 shape.
How C♯sus4 is built
C♯sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. The suspended note wants to fall back, so C♯sus4 usually resolves to C♯ major: play C♯sus4 then C♯ and you'll hear it settle.
Start on C♯, count 5 half steps up to F♯ then 2 half steps up to G♯. Written with flats or sharps the other way round it's D♭sus4; the sound is identical.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | root | 0 | |
| F♯ | perfect fourth | 5 | |
| G♯ | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with C♯sus4
No major or natural minor key contains C♯sus4 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
Chords close to C♯sus4
- C♯sus4 and C♯ differ by one note: F♯ in C♯sus4, E♯ in C♯. They share C♯ and G♯. C♯
- C♯sus4 and C♯sus2 differ by one note: F♯ in C♯sus4, D♯ in C♯sus2. They share C♯ and G♯. C♯sus2
Chords that share most of their notes with C♯sus4: F♯sus2, F♯add9, F♯9, C♯, C♯m, C♯sus2.
Every C♯ chord
C♯sus4 chord: questions
What notes are in the C♯sus4 chord?
C♯, F♯ and G♯. C♯sus4 is built 1–4–5 from C♯: F♯ is the perfect fourth and G♯ is the perfect fifth.
How do you play C♯sus4 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-4-6-6-7-4 (barre). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play C♯sus4 on piano?
Play C♯, F♯ and G♯ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play C♯sus4 on ukulele?
1-1-2-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is C♯sus4 in?
No major or natural minor key contains C♯sus4 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
What's the difference between C♯sus4 and C♯?
C♯sus4 and C♯ differ by one note: F♯ in C♯sus4, E♯ in C♯. They share C♯ and G♯.
All three instruments are drawn and played from C♯, F♯ and G♯ by the same engine. Updated September 2026.