How to Play a D Suspended on a Guitar

Suspended chords replace the third with a second or fourth to create an uneasy feeling.

Learning to play a suspended D chord on guitar is simple if you already know how to play an open D chord. Suspended chords provide an uneasy sound, which puts the listener in suspense, essentially waiting for the chord to return to the D major chord. Suspended chords are played by changing the third, which in a D major chord is F sharp, to either the second (E) or the fourth (G). These two variations create the Dsus2 and Dsus4 chords.

Instructions

1. Fret a D major chord. D suspended is very closely related to a simple D major chord. Fret the second fret on the G string with your index finger, and the second fret on the high E string with your middle finger. The G string is the thinner of the two middle strings, and the high E string is the thinnest string on the guitar. Press your ring finger down on the third fret of the B string. Play the highest four strings to play the D major chord.

2. Remove your middle finger to play a Dsus2 chord. Decode the name of the chord to understand the musical relationship between these chords. A suspended chord is a chord with the third (F sharp) changed to a second or a fourth. A Dsus2 is a suspended chord which includes a "2," or second. This is the E note, which is the highest string, played open. Take your middle finger away from the fret board but keep your index and ring finger in place. Play the highest four strings to strum the Dsus2.

3. Press down the third fret of the high E string with your little finger. This frets a G note on the high E string. A G note, in the scale of D major, is the fourth, making this chord a Dsus4. Although you could simply flatten your ring finger down to cover the note, playing it with the little finger enables you to change easily between a Dsus4 and a D major chord. Play the highest four strings to strum this chord. Remember, to remove the suspense created by your chord, you have to revert to the D major chord.

4. Flatten your index finger down across the highest five strings at the fifth fret if you want to play a Dsus2 in a different position. Press down the seventh fret on both the D and G string using your ring and little fingers. Strum the highest five strings to play this variation of the Dsus2 chord. Move this position up and down the guitar neck to play other suspended chords. For example, move it down two frets to play a Csus2 chord.

References

• Jam Play: D sus2 (Dsus2) Guitar Chord Chart
• 8 Notes: Guitar Chord: Dsus4