B7sus4 B seventh suspended fourth chord
- Notes
- B E F# A
- Formula
- 1 4 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 5 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- B7sus
B to E is a perfect fourth (5 semitones), E to F# is a major second (2 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh with the fourth, E, in place of the third. Like any sus chord it is neither major nor minor. With A in the bass the same four keys read as B7sus4/A.
B7sus4 on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, E5, F#5, A5. Middle C is C4.
B7sus4 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 B as its lowest note.
x 2 4 2 5 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 A3 E4 F#4
7 9 7 9 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 A3 E4 F#4 B4
The E-shape and A-shape grips 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 seventh suspended fourth chords on other roots.
Inversions of B7sus4
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 | B E F# A | B7sus4 | |
| 1st inversion | E F# A B | B7sus4/E | |
| 2nd inversion | F# A B E | F#m11 (also read as B7sus4/F#) | |
| 3rd inversion | A B E F# | B7sus4/A |
Where B7sus4 fits
B7sus4 is V7sus4 in E major. The usual move is B7sus4 → B7: the fourth, E, falls a half step to the third D# while the seventh A stays. In modal jazz and gospel it is often left unresolved.