D Suspended Fourth Ukulele Arpeggio
Ukulele arpeggio — fretboard diagram
D Suspended Fourth Arpeggio — Notes and Intervals
Notes: D, G, A
Intervals: 1P, 4P, 5P
Formula: 5-W
Number of notes: 3
Also known as: sus4, sus
The D Suspended Fourth arpeggio contains 3 notes (D, G, A). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this arpeggio on Ukulele with different tunings and fret ranges.
When to Use the D Suspended Fourth Arpeggio
Play the D Suspended Fourth arpeggio whenever a D Suspended Fourth chord appears in a progression. Unlike scales (which include passing tones), arpeggios guarantee every note you play IS a chord tone, making your solo sound harmonically precise and intentional.
Arpeggio vs. Scale
The D Suspended Fourth arpeggio uses 3 notes (D, G, A) while the full scale uses 7. The arpeggio is a subset — think of it as the skeleton of the scale. Practice alternating between the arpeggio and the full scale to develop a melodic vocabulary that mixes chord tones with passing tones.
How to Play D Suspended Fourth Arpeggio on Ukulele
On ukulele, find D around fret 2 and play through the arpeggio tones (D, G, A). With 3 notes, this arpeggio fits within a single chord shape on the ukulele. Try picking through the D Suspended Fourth chord form to hear the arpeggio in context.
The D Suspended Fourth arpeggio avoids the third, creating an open, unresolved sound. It works over Dsus4, Dsus2, D7sus4 voicings and is perfect for creating a modern, ambiguous harmonic feel that neither commits to major nor minor.
Practice Routine
Practice the D Suspended Fourth arpeggio in different octaves, starting low and working up. Then try displacing the octaves — play the root low, the G an octave higher, and continue leaping. This trains your ear to hear the intervals (1P, 4P, 5P) in any register.
Ukulele Tips
The ukulele's re-entrant tuning creates natural voice leading within the D Suspended Fourth arpeggio. Experiment with picking patterns that take advantage of the high G string to create unexpected interval leaps within the arpeggio shape.