Article
How to Read Guitar Chord Diagrams
Learn how to read guitar chord diagrams quickly. Understand dots, numbers, Xs, Os, and finger positions so you can play any chord chart at sight.
Csus2/D guitar shapes
Popular fretboard positions with fingering suggestions
Showing 8 of 76 playable shapes
About the chord
C suspended 2nd / D (1st inversion)
The C suspended 2nd suspended 2nd chord swaps the third for a major second D, giving it an airy, open feel. This ambiguity creates an ethereal quality, often used to add movement and intrigue without strong resolution. With D in the bass, this voicing functions as the 1st inversion of C suspended 2nd.
Root note: C
Bass note: D
Chord tones: 3
Playable shapes: 76
Chord tones
CDG
Notes & Intervals
Each note below shows how the chord is built from its root. This is the theory layer underneath the fretboard shapes.
C Unison (Root) 1
The root anchors the chord and defines its tonal center.
D Major Second 2
The second creates an open suspended feel without fully committing to major or minor.
G Perfect Fifth 5
The fifth reinforces stability and gives the chord its strong harmonic frame.
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