C♯sus4 chord on guitar

C♯sus4 is C♯, F♯ and G♯. The usual shape is x-4-6-6-7-4, a barre at the 4th fret. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

How to play C♯sus4 on guitar

Shape 1, x-4-6-6-7-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

1. Barre the 4th fret with your index finger, covering the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string.
2. Put your middle finger on the D string at the 6th fret, which is G♯.
3. Put your ring finger on the G string at the 6th fret, which is C♯.
4. Put your pinky finger on the B string at the 7th fret, which is F♯.
5. Skip the low E string and begin the strum from the A string.

• Keep the barre just behind the fret wire, not in the middle of the fret. Your thumb goes behind the neck, roughly opposite your middle finger.
• Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
• This one reaches. Let the thumb slide lower on the neck and the stretch gets noticeably easier.

Other ways to play C♯sus4

• x-4-4-1-2-x: movable shape, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
• 9-11-11-11-9-9: barre shape at the 9th fret, medium. Root on the 6th string: move it up or down and it names a different suspended fourth chord.

Capo shortcuts for C♯sus4

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 4th fret and play the open Asus4 shape (x-0-2-2-3-0). The chord sounds as C♯sus4 because the capo raises every string by 4 half steps.

Moving between C♯sus4 and its neighbours

The chords C♯sus4 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

• C♯ (resolves down to the third): 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♯. C♯ on guitar
• F♯ (IV in D♭ major): 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. F♯ on guitar
• A♭ (V in D♭ major): 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. A♭ on guitar

C♯sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. C♯sus4 holds the fourth where the third should be; drop it a half step or whole step into C♯ or C♯m to resolve. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Getting C♯sus4 under your fingers

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: C♯, G♯, C♯, F♯, G♯. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to x-4-4-1-2-x and back four times without looking at your hand.

Written D♭sus4, it's the same chord with the same frets.

C♯sus4 in context

C♯sus4 on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try C♯sus4 on ukulele or C♯sus4 on piano, or compare them on the C♯sus4 chord page.

Related C♯ chords on guitar

• C♯
• C♯sus2
• C♯7
• C♯m

Other suspended fourth chords

• Csus4
• Dsus4
• E♭sus4
• Esus4
• Fsus4
• F♯sus4
• Gsus4
• A♭sus4
• Asus4
• B♭sus4
• Bsus4

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes C♯, F♯ and G♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026. Print this chord