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How to Build Your Chord Vocabulary on Guitar: A Systematic Approach
Expand your chord vocabulary systematically. Learn chord families, inversions, extensions, and strategies to master new chords efficiently.
D suspended 4th guitar shapes
Popular fretboard positions with fingering suggestions
Showing 8 of 130 playable shapes
About the chord
D suspended 4th guitar chord
Dsus4 is the D suspended 4th guitar chord. It uses the notes D, G, and A and the interval formula 1-4-5.
The D suspended 4th suspended 4th chord replaces the third with a perfect fourth G, creating a suspended, unresolved sound. This tension naturally resolves to the major or minor third, adding anticipation and dynamic movement in rock and pop.
Root note: D
Quality: suspended 4th
Chord tones: 3
Playable shapes: 130
Chord tones
DGA
Common guitar voicings
These are quick-start shapes for players who want the answer first and the deeper theory second.
Shape 1
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- 1 Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string.
- 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string.
- 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string.
- 4 Strum from the 4th string down.
Shape 2
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- 1 Place the 1st finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string.
- 2 Place the 3rd finger on the 5th fret of the 1st string.
- 3 Strum from the 4th string down.
Notes & Intervals
Each note below shows how the chord is built from its root. This is the theory layer underneath the fretboard shapes.
D Unison (Root) 1
The root anchors the chord and defines its tonal center.
G Perfect Fourth 4
The fourth creates suspension and a sense of pull toward resolution.
A Perfect Fifth 5
The fifth reinforces stability and gives the chord its strong harmonic frame.
Quick answers
What notes are in Dsus4?
Dsus4 uses the notes D, G, and A. Its interval formula is 1-4-5.
How do you play Dsus4 on guitar?
Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string. Place the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string. Place the 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string. Strum from the 4th string down.
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