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D♭sus4

Character: hanging

  1. D♭Rtriad
  2. G♭4triad
  3. A♭5triad
Open D♭sus4 in the chord libraryDownload the D♭sus4 chart (PDF)
Voicings

11 ways to play D♭sus4

Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.

  • Triad note
  • Substitute
  • Added
  • Anchored root
  • Bass
  • Doubling
CC shape 1st inversion D♭sus4/G♭
1 2 3 4 3 R 5 4 4 R

Frets x 4 4 1 2 2Notes G♭ A♭ D♭Intervals 4 5 1

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

CC shape Root position D♭sus4
1 2 3 4 3 5 4 R 4 R

Frets x 4 4 1 2 2Notes D♭ G♭ A♭Intervals 1 4 5

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

CC shape 2nd inversion D♭sus4/A♭
1 2 3 4 3 4 R 5

Frets 4 4 4 x x xNotes A♭ D♭ G♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

AA shape Root position D♭sus4
4 5 6 7 3 5 4 R 4 R

Frets x 4 4 6 7 4Notes D♭ G♭ A♭Intervals 1 4 5

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

AA shape 2nd inversion D♭sus4/A♭
4 5 6 7 3 4 R 5

Frets x x 6 6 7 xNotes A♭ D♭ G♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

GG shape 1st inversion D♭sus4/G♭
6 7 8 9 3 R 5 4 R 4 R

Frets 9 9 6 6 7 9Notes G♭ A♭ D♭Intervals 4 5 1

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

GG shape Root position D♭sus4
6 7 8 9 3 5 4 R R 4 R

Frets 9 9 6 6 7 9Notes D♭ G♭ A♭Intervals 1 4 5

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

EE shape 1st inversion D♭sus4/G♭
9 10 11 12 3 R 5 4 R 4 R

Frets 9 9 11 11 9 9Notes G♭ A♭ D♭Intervals 4 5 1

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

EE shape Root position D♭sus4
9 10 11 12 3 5 4 R R 4 R

Frets 9 9 11 11 9 9Notes D♭ G♭ A♭Intervals 1 4 5

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

EE shape 2nd inversion D♭sus4/A♭
9 10 11 12 3 4 R 5

Frets x 11 11 11 x xNotes A♭ D♭ G♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

DD shape 2nd inversion D♭sus4/A♭
1 2 3 4 3 4 R 5

Frets x x x 1 2 2Notes A♭ D♭ G♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

The rules

The construction rules D♭sus4 follows

  1. Start from a triad

    Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.

  2. Sus chords replace the 3rd

    A 2nd or a 4th takes the 3rd’s place, so the chord is neither major nor minor and wants to resolve. 7sus4 keeps the ♭7 for a dominant without its 3rd.

All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.

Suspended 4th in every key

More chords on D♭

D♭sus4 chord questions

What notes are in D♭sus4?

D♭sus4 is spelled D♭ G♭ A♭: D♭ is the root, G♭ is the 4th, A♭ is the 5th.

What is the formula of D♭sus4?

1 4 5. It is a D♭ sus4 triad.

How many ways can you play D♭sus4 on guitar?

This page shows 11 voicings of D♭sus4, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.