How to Play a First Position C-sus4 Chord on the Guitar
"Suspended fourth" (sus4) chords are used widely in all styles of music, from pop and rock to jazz and blues. Suspended fourth chords are useful and are well worth the time spent adding them to your arsenal. They are called "suspended" chords because they give a dangling feeling of suspense to the music when used briefly before resolving to a normal "major" chord with the same letter name. For example, after playing a C-sus4 chord, you would next play a C (major) chord. The tension caused by the suspended chord feels as if it is relieved by playing the major chord of the same name directly after the suspended chord. Sometimes in jazz and jazz-influenced popular music, suspended chords are used by themselves without resolving to the major chord of the same name. This can add emotion to a piece of music, making it more expressive.
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Instructions
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Place your first (index) finger behind the first fret on the first and second strings of the guitar. The tip of your first finger should hold down both strings, forming a small, two-string barre (as in "barre" chord).
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Place your fourth (pinkie) finger behind the third fret on the fourth string of the guitar.
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Place your third (ring) finger behind the third fret on the fifth string of the guitar.
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Make sure that each finger is touching only the string that it is supposed to be touching.
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Strum the C-sus4 chord from the fifth string down to the first, ensuring that all notes ring clearly. Do not play the sixth string in this chord.
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Tips & Warnings
Frets are the metal ridges on the fingerboard of the guitar. The strings on the guitar are numbered from 1 to 6, with the first string being the thinnest string and the sixth string being the thickest.
