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Ukulele chords

D 7sus4 (D7sus4) chord on ukulele

Looking for the D7sus4 chord on ukulele? It is a 7sus4 chord (a sus4 chord plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: D – G – A – C.

Dots show:
D7sus4 – Basic shape5.1GCEAGCAD
Basic shapeeasy
D7sus4 – Open position123GCEAGDGC
Open positioneasy
D7sus4 – Position 77.12GCEADGCA
Position 7easy
D7sus4 – Position 1010.3314GCEAGCDA
Position 10medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

What the D7sus4 chord sounds like

A 7sus4 is a suspended dominant seventh: a fourth replaces the third. It is less tense than a plain 7 chord and popular in funk, jazz and modern pop.

Notes of the D7sus4 chord

DegreeNoteInterval from the root
1Droot
4Gperfect fourth (5 semitones)
5Aperfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7Cminor seventh (10 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape, barre at fret 5

  • String 1 (A): fret 5, index finger (D5)
  • String 2 (E): fret 5, index finger (A4)
  • String 3 (C): open (C4)
  • String 4 (G): open (G4)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 5; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Open position

  • String 1 (A): fret 3, ring finger (C5)
  • String 2 (E): fret 3, middle finger (G4)
  • String 3 (C): fret 2, index finger (D4)
  • String 4 (G): open (G4)

Position 7, barre at fret 7

  • String 1 (A): open (A4)
  • String 2 (E): fret 8, middle finger (C5)
  • String 3 (C): fret 7, index finger (G4)
  • String 4 (G): fret 7, index finger (D5)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 7; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Tuning: G C E A (the G string is higher than the C – standard re-entrant ukulele tuning). In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The D7sus4 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

  • D minor: I7sus4 (tonic)
  • G major: V7sus4 (dominant)
  • G minor: V7sus4 (dominant)
  • A minor: IV7sus4 (subdominant)
  • B♭ major: III7sus4
  • F major: VI7sus4
  • C major: II7sus4
  • E minor: VII7sus4

Similar chords and substitutes

If D7sus4 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

  • A♭7 – tritone substitute: the same third and seventh, swapped – a jazz favourite
  • F♯dim7 – diminished seventh on the third: a common stand-in for the dominant
  • D7 – a simpler dominant
  • G – where it resolves (V → I)

Simpler versions

  • Dsus4 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

  • D11 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the D7sus4 chord?

D, G, A, C. The root is D; the intervals of the other notes from the root: perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play D7sus4 on ukulele?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”, rated easy. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some D7sus4 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (A) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the D7sus4 chord written?

The chord symbol is D7sus4, and its full name is D 7sus4.

Related chords

The same chord on another instrument:

D7sus4 on guitarD7sus4 on pianoD7sus4 on mandolinD7sus4 on banjo

Other D chords on ukulele:

DDmD7Dmaj7Dm7Dsus2Dsus4D6Dm6Dadd9DdimDaugDdim7Dm7b5D9Dm9Dmaj9D11D13

All ukulele chords in a table →

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Photos: Isak Photography, 42 North, Rachel Loughman, Vitaly Gariev, Vitaly Gariev, Isaac Martin / Unsplash