B Suspended Fourth Chord (Bsus4)

1Composition: what it contains

B – E – F♯

Symbol

Bsus4

Also written

Bsus4, Bsus

Formula

1 4 5

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

On the guitar

On the ukulele

On the piano

On the staff

On bass and as an arpeggio

3Indications: what it is used for

In classical harmony it is a suspension: the fourth is held over from the previous chord and then resolves down to the third (4–3 suspension), very common on the V chord at cadences (Vsus4–V–I). In pop, rock and folk it is used as a colour chord and in strummed patterns (major–sus4–major). In gospel and jazz it appears as a 'sus' dominant, often extended to 7sus4 or 9sus4. It suits anthems, worship songs and open-string guitar riffs.

4Dosage: how to practise it

On guitar, practise the open shapes and hammer the fourth on and off while strumming; then learn barre shapes rooted on the fifth and sixth strings. On piano, play root–fourth–fifth and resolve the fourth down to the third, both hands, at 60 BPM. Practise the cadence IV–Vsus4–V–I in several keys. Spend five minutes a day writing short chord loops using sus4 resolutions to train both hands and ear. On bass, outline root, fourth and fifth, then move the fourth to the third when the chord resolves.

5Warnings and common mistakes

Do not play the third together with the fourth unless you want a dense add11 sound: the 'sus' chord means no third. 'Sus' alone usually means sus4. Do not confuse it with an eleventh chord, which also contains a seventh and often a ninth. On guitar, check that your finger is not muting the fourth when it should ring. A sus4 does not have to resolve in modern styles, but in classical writing it should.

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Inversions

• Inversion 1 · Bsus4/E · E – F♯ – B Play
• Inversion 2 · Bsus4/F♯ · F♯ – B – E Play

Scales to play over Bsus4

• B Major Scale
• B Natural Minor Scale
• B Harmonic Minor Scale
• B Melodic Minor Scale
• B Dorian Mode
• B Phrygian Mode
• B Mixolydian Mode
• B Minor Pentatonic Scale
• B Blues Scale
• B Phrygian Dominant Scale
• B Double Harmonic Major Scale
• B Bebop Dominant Scale

7Other presentations available

The same chord from every note

Csus4 C♯sus4 Dsus4 E♭sus4 Esus4 Fsus4 F♯sus4 Gsus4 A♭sus4 Asus4 B♭sus4

Other chords on B

B Bm Bdim Baug Bsus2 B5 B6 Bm6 B7 Bmaj7 Bm7 Bm7♭5 Bdim7 Bm(maj7) B7sus4 Badd9 Bm(add9) B6/9 B9 Bmaj9 Bm9 B11 Bm11 B13 B7♭9 B7♯9 B7♯5 B7♭5