E flat Suspended Fourth Chord (E♭sus4)

1Composition: what it contains

E♭ – A♭ – B♭

Symbol

E♭sus4

Also written

E♭sus4, E♭sus

Formula

1 4 5

Same sound as

D♯sus4

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 · E♭sus4/A♭ · A♭ – B♭ – E♭ Play
• Inversion 2 · E♭sus4/B♭ · B♭ – E♭ – A♭ Play

Scales to play over E♭sus4

• E flat Major Scale
• E flat Natural Minor Scale
• E flat Harmonic Minor Scale
• E flat Melodic Minor Scale
• E flat Dorian Mode
• D sharp Phrygian Mode
• E flat Mixolydian Mode
• E flat Minor Pentatonic Scale
• D sharp Blues Scale
• E flat Phrygian Dominant Scale
• E flat Double Harmonic Major Scale
• E flat Bebop Dominant Scale

7Other presentations available

The same chord from every note

Csus4 C♯sus4 Dsus4 Esus4 Fsus4 F♯sus4 Gsus4 A♭sus4 Asus4 B♭sus4 Bsus4

Other chords on E♭

E♭ E♭m E♭dim E♭aug E♭sus2 E♭5 E♭6 E♭m6 E♭7 E♭maj7 E♭m7 E♭m7♭5 E♭dim7 E♭m(maj7) E♭7sus4 E♭add9 E♭m(add9) E♭6/9 E♭9 E♭maj9 E♭m9 E♭11 E♭m11 E♭13 E♭7♭9 E♭7♯9 E♭7♯5 E♭7♭5