A Suspended 4th Guitar Chord — DADGAD
Guitar chord voicings in DADGAD tuning (D-A-D-G-A-D)
A Suspended 4th Voicings in DADGAD
A Suspended 4th filtered by fret:
A Suspended 4th in DADGAD Tuning — Guide
The A Suspended 4th chord is made up of the following notes: A, D, E.
Intervals: 1P, 4P, 5P.
The A Suspended 4th chord in DADGAD tuning (D-A-D-G-A-D) requires different fingerings than standard tuning.
A sus4 replaces the third with a perfect fourth, producing the notes A, D, E (intervals 1P, 4P, 5P). Without the third, the chord is neither major nor minor — just open tension waiting to resolve. Suspended fourth chords create a yearning, unfinished quality that has been exploited brilliantly in folk, rock, and ambient music. They often resolve down to the major chord, providing a satisfying release.
How to Play A Suspended 4th
On guitar, the most common voicing for A sus4 is x-0-2-2-3-0 — open position that raises the 3rd of A major to create a suspended tension. This is one of the fundamental shapes every guitarist should memorize early on, as it appears in countless songs and serves as a building block for more complex voicings up the neck.
A Suspended 4th in Progressions
A sus4 is used wherever you want tension without committing to major or minor. It commonly replaces or precedes the A major chord, creating a sus4-to-major resolution. In modern music, sus chords often stand on their own as ambient, open-sounding harmonies.
Common Substitutions
A major, Dadd9, or A7sus4 offer different resolutions of the suspended tension.
Difficulty: On guitar, this chord has a comfortable open voicing — suitable for beginners and widely used in popular songs.