C 7sus4 (C7sus4)

Download MIDI
1+4+5+b7
C1F2G3Bb5
4 4

Notes in C 7sus4

C (root)FGBb

Inversions

Same notes as C 7sus4, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

C in the bass

C1F2G3Bb5

1st inversion

F in the bass (C7sus4/F)

F1G2C5Bb4

2nd inversion

G in the bass (C7sus4/G)

G1C3F5Bb2

3rd inversion

Bb in the bass (C7sus4/Bb)

C2F3G5Bb1

Open voicings

A close-position chord like C 7sus4 can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

G on the bottom

G3C1F2Bb5

Drop 3

F on the bottom

F2C1G3Bb5

C 7sus4 is built from C, F, G and Bb.

A dominant seventh chord with the third swapped out for a perfect fourth, combining the open sound of a sus4 with the pull of a dominant seventh. Gospel and blues piano lean on it heavily, often as a stepping stone right before the full dominant seventh resolves.

Difficulty: Intermediate. Category: Extended chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.