Gsus4 Piano Chord

Gsus4 is the G suspended fourth chord. It has three notes: G, C and D. All three are white keys, and the B that would make it G major has been replaced by C.

1G3C5DC3C4

G at the bottom, then C and D. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1. Every key here is white.

How to play Gsus4 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the G below middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): G
  3. Middle finger (3): C
  4. Little finger (5): D
  5. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 2, 1 an octave lower, or just G on its own as a bass note.

In the key of C, Gsus4 to G to C is one of the most used endings in popular music. Practising all three in a row teaches the chord and its job at once.

Inversions of Gsus4

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are Gsus4; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionC D G
Gsus4 piano chord diagram, first inversion, C D G
Lighter than root position and less final. A fourth in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionD G C
Gsus4 piano chord diagram, second inversion, D G C
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.

If it sounds wrong

The chord sounds like G major
The middle note is C, not B. It sits one white key higher.
The top two notes clash
C and D are adjacent. That rub is the suspension; it clears when the C falls to B.
The chord sits too low
Root position Gsus4 is below middle C. The first inversion puts the same notes higher, where the tension reads more clearly.

What makes it a Gsus4

G · C · D 1 4 5

Gsus4 is G, C and D: the root, the fourth and the fifth, with no third.

It is the V chord of C with its third held back. Because the V chord is where most tension lives already, suspending it doubles the effect, which is why the sus4 to major move is so common on the dominant.

Gsus4 vs G

One note. G major has B, Gsus4 has C. The suspension resolves when the C steps down to B.

Guitarists know this pair well, since both are easy shapes there. On piano it is a single finger moving one white key.

Questions about Gsus4

What does sus mean in Gsus4?

Suspended. The third of the chord is removed and replaced by another note. In Gsus4 the third, B, is replaced by C, the fourth, which is why the chord sounds like it is waiting for something.

Which notes are in a Gsus4 chord on piano?

G, C and D.

What is the difference between Gsus4 and Gsus2?

Which note stands in for the third. Gsus4 uses the fourth and sounds tense; Gsus2 uses the second and sounds open. Sus4 wants to resolve, sus2 is happy where it is.

How do you resolve Gsus4?

Move C down to B, which turns the chord into G major. That single step is the whole point of a sus4, and it is one of the most used moves in gospel, rock and pop.

Chords to learn next

Other G chords