D 7sus4 (D7sus4)

Download MIDI
1+4+5+b7
D1G2A3C5
4 4

Notes in D 7sus4

D (root)GAC

Inversions

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

Root position

D in the bass

D1G2A3C5

1st inversion

G in the bass (D7sus4/G)

G1A2C4D5

2nd inversion

A in the bass (D7sus4/A)

A1C2D3G5

3rd inversion

C in the bass (D7sus4/C)

C1D2G3A5

Open voicings

A close-position chord like D 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

A on the bottom

A3D1G2C5

Drop 3

G on the bottom

G2D1A3C5

Press D, G, A and C together on the keyboard and you're playing D 7sus4.

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.