Sus Chords on Guitar: What They Are and How to Use Them
Add your pinky to a D chord. That's Dsus4 — and that's basically the whole introduction to sus chords done. You already have the shape, because Dsus4 is just D major (xx0232) with a finger added at the 3rd fret on the high e string (xx0233). Play the two back and forth a few times. Dsus4 → D → Dsus4 → D. Immediately sounds like the opening of an actual song.
That pull-back-to-D feeling is the whole point. Sus chords sound unresolved on their own — not wrong, but tense in a specific way. They want to land somewhere. The natural resolution is the major or minor chord they're built from, which is why guitarists keep moving between them. Dsus4 → D is one of the most-used moves in pop and rock, and it's two fingers doing a two-millimeter shift.
What "Sus" Actually Means
Sus is short for suspended. The name comes from classical theory, where a tone held over from one chord into another was said to be "suspended" — unresolved, waiting. On guitar, the practical definition is simpler: the third of the chord gets replaced by either the second or the fourth.
A D major chord has D, F#, and A. The F# is the major third — the note that makes it sound major rather than minor. In Dsus4, you swap that F# for G (the fourth), giving you D, G, A. In Dsus2, you swap it for E (the second), giving you D, E, A. Neither one is major or minor anymore. That ambiguity is why they sound like they're asking a question your ear wants answered.
The important thing: they're not complicated chords. You're not adding a note on top of a triad. You're swapping one note and the chord changes character entirely. Most sus chord shapes are one or two fingers away from chords you already know.
Dsus4 and Dsus2 — Start Here
D major: xx0232. Three fingers clustered near the 2nd fret. Almost everyone learns this early.
Dsus4: xx0233. Just your pinky at the 3rd fret on the first string, added to your existing D shape. All four fingers are now in use. This is what George Harrison plays in the opening phrase of "Here Comes the Sun" — the Dsus4 → D move before each verse section. Once you hear it, you'll notice it constantly.
Dsus2: xx0230. The opposite move — lift your middle finger off the second string and let the first string ring open. Open first string is E, which is the second degree of D major. Some players find this harder to finger cleanly because lifting one finger while keeping two others pressed down takes coordination. Practice it slowly. The reward is a slightly cooler, more open sound than Dsus4 — not as tense, more like a shimmer on the chord.
Both shapes are in "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis — the piano riff that Noel plays in the intro is transcribed as Dsus4 → D → Dsus2 and then into the C major. Strumming that cycle is a good way to hear the difference between the two sus sounds side by side.
Asus4 and Asus2
A major: x02220. Five strings, with strings 2, 3, and 4 all fretted at the 2nd fret.
Asus4: x02230. Move your ring finger — or add your pinky — to fret the second string at the 3rd fret instead of the 2nd. That second string goes from C# (the major third) to D (the fourth). The result is A, E, A, D, E — Asus4. Lots of ways to finger this depending on your hand. Some players barre all three upper strings with the ring finger and lift the pinky, others use three separate fingers and add a fourth for the sus4 note. Either works.
Asus2: x02200. Just lift your ring finger off the second string entirely and let it ring open. Open second string is B, the major second above A. The chord gets much lighter and more open-sounding. This is what drives "Message in a Bottle" by The Police — Neville's guitar riff is built around Asus2, F#sus2, Bsus2, and Esus2 shapes cycling through. The consistency of the sus2 sound across all four chords is what gives the song that ringing, interconnected feel.
Esus4 — One Finger Away
E major: 022100. Standard open E, first chord most beginners learn.
Esus4: 022200. Lift your middle finger off the third string (fret 1 → open G). The third string open is G, which is the fourth above E major's G# third. Three strings now at fret 2, three strings open. It looks almost like a half-barre, and it's significantly easier to play than it sounds. "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who moves through Em and Esus4 in the verse — the sus4 shape is part of what makes the verse feel like it's waiting for something. (It is — the chorus explodes.)
The Two Ways Players Actually Use Sus Chords
The first is the classic resolve: sus chord → major (or minor) chord. Dsus4 → D. Asus4 → A. Esus4 → E. You hear this constantly in rock, country, and pop. The sus4 creates a brief moment of "something's about to happen" before the chord lands. It's a cheap way to add movement to a chord that isn't changing — strum Dsus4 for a beat, land on D, and it sounds like a phrase instead of just a held chord.
The second is using a sus chord as its own color — not resolving it at all, just letting it sit. A lot of ambient and post-rock guitarists do this deliberately. The Asus2 in "Message in a Bottle" doesn't resolve to A major; it stays sus2 the entire time. The ambiguity is the point. The chord doesn't feel settled, which keeps the song moving forward even when the harmony isn't technically changing.
"The Unforgiven" by Metallica uses Asus2 throughout the clean intro. It never resolves to A major in those sections — the sus2 shape holds the whole emotional weight of the guitar part. That works in context because the song is fundamentally about unresolved things.
Pinball Wizard and the Sus Chord Riff
"Pinball Wizard" by The Who is worth mentioning separately because the main riff is almost entirely sus chords ascending. Bsus4 → Bsus2 → B → Asus4 → Asus2 → A, continuing upward. Pete Townshend is playing a sequence of suspended resolutions as a single riff — every chord resolves but immediately becomes suspended again on the next chord up. It's compositionally clever, and it's also a really effective technical exercise for anyone practicing sus chord transitions across different root notes.
Practicing Them: A Short Drill
Pick one key and work through the cycle. In D:
Dsus4 (xx0233) → D (xx0232) → Dsus2 (xx0230) → D (xx0232)
Do it slow enough that every string rings clearly, and focus on what changes between shapes. The middle two fingers don't move at all — only the first string position changes. Once that feels comfortable, try the same thing starting from Asus4 → A → Asus2, and then from Esus4 → E. The mechanics are identical across all three; you're just starting from a different root.
Then try fitting them into a progression you already know. G → Dsus4 → D → Em is a real chord progression (it's in a lot of 90s alternative rock). The sus chord between G and Em makes the D feel like it's landing rather than just appearing. Small change, noticeable effect.
For looking up the specific fingerings while you practice, the chord chart tool has Dsus4, Asus4, Asus2, and Esus4 shapes. Worth having open alongside what you're playing. And for putting these chords into progressions — understanding why the sus feels tense and the resolution feels settled — the chord progressions guide covers the underlying logic of why certain moves work.