Bsus4 B suspended fourth chord
- Notes
- B E F#
- Formula
- 1 4 5
- Semitones
- 0 5 7 above the root
- Other symbols
- Bsus
B to E is a perfect fourth (5 semitones), E to F# is a major second (2 semitones). The third is replaced by the fourth (E), which wants to fall to the third. With E in the bass the same three keys read as Esus2.
Bsus4 on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, E5, F#5. Middle C is C4.
Bsus4 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 4 5 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 B3 E4 F#4
7 9 9 9 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 B3 E4 F#4 B4
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 Bsus4
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# | Bsus4 | |
| 1st inversion | E F# B | Esus2 (also read as Bsus4/E) | |
| 2nd inversion | F# B E | F#7sus4 (also read as Bsus4/F#) |
Where Bsus4 fits
A sus chord has no third, so it is neither major nor minor and has no fixed place in a key. Bsus4 usually resolves to B or Bm: the fourth, E, falls a half or whole step to the third. Its most common job is Vsus4 in E major, delaying the V chord: Bsus4 → B → E.