Chord Detail
C♯ Suspended Fourth Chord
C#sus4 is a C# suspended fourth chord — formed by raising the third of a major chord to a perfect fourth. The resulting chord is neither major nor minor, instead floating in beautiful harmonic suspense that resolves when the fourth falls back to the third.
A suspended fourth chord replaces the major third with a perfect fourth (5 semitones above the root). C#sus4 uses C#, F#, Ab. The fourth (F#) creates a natural tension: it wants to resolve downward by one semitone to the major third, completing a major chord. Without the third, there is no major or minor character — just open, floating sound. The perfect fifth (Ab) provides the harmonic foundation. Sus4 chords are common in gospel and worship as pre-dominant chords (especially V7sus4 → I), in rock power chord riffs, and as I-chord color in hymns and anthems. The term "suspended" refers to this note being "held over" from a previous chord before resolving.
Formula: 1 – 4 – 5
1Root0 semitones4Perfect Fourth5 semitones5Perfect Fifth7 semitonesFloating, expectant, devotional, and emotionally neutral. Creates the feeling of waiting for something to happen.
Suspended chords remove the defining third degree and replace it with a 2nd or 4th, leaving the chord neither major nor minor. They hang in harmonic limbo — open, expectant, and unresolved. Sus chords feel like the held breath before a chord finally lands.
✨ Other dreamy sounds to explore
The sus4 resolves naturally by lowering the fourth to the third (making a major chord). This resolution is one of the most satisfying in music. In gospel, sus4 chords often appear as G7sus4 → Cmaj7, where the suspended fourth (C) falls to B. For piano, spread root–fifth in the left hand and fourth–fifth in the right for maximum openness.
Vsus4 – V – I (Classic resolution)Isus4 – I – IVsus4 – IV (Pendulum)IVmaj9 – Vsus4 – Imaj7 (Gospel IV–V–I)Vsus4 – vim7 – IVmaj7 – Isus4 (Worship progression)Connect your MIDI keyboard and play this chord — ChordBeam identifies it instantly