Absus4 Ab suspended fourth chord
- Notes
- Ab Db Eb
- Formula
- 1 4 5
- Semitones
- 0 5 7 above the root
- Also written
- G#sus4 (G# C# D#)
- Other symbols
- Absus
Ab to Db is a perfect fourth (5 semitones), Db to Eb is a major second (2 semitones). The third is replaced by the fourth (Db), which wants to fall to the third. With Db in the bass the same three keys read as Dbsus2.
Absus4 on the piano
Root position from Ab4: Ab4, Db5, Eb5. Middle C is C4.
Absus4 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has Ab as its lowest note.
4 6 6 6 4 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds Ab2 Eb3 Ab3 Db4 Eb4 Ab4
x 11 13 13 14 11 (low E to high e)
Sounds Ab3 Eb4 Ab4 Db5 Eb5
The barre shapes are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play suspended fourth chords on other roots.
Inversions of Absus4
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | Ab Db Eb | Absus4 | |
| 1st inversion | Db Eb Ab | Dbsus2 (also read as Absus4/Db) | |
| 2nd inversion | Eb Ab Db | Eb7sus4 (also read as Absus4/Eb) |
Where Absus4 fits
A sus chord has no third, so it is neither major nor minor and has no fixed place in a key. Absus4 usually resolves to Ab or Abm: the fourth, Db, falls a half or whole step to the third. Its most common job is Vsus4 in Db major, delaying the V chord: Absus4 → Ab → Db.