E7sus4 E seventh suspended fourth chord
- Notes
- E A B D
- Formula
- 1 4 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 5 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- E7sus
E to A is a perfect fourth (5 semitones), A to B is a major second (2 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh with the fourth, A, in place of the third. Like any sus chord it is neither major nor minor. With D in the bass the same four keys read as E7sus4/D.
E7sus4 on the piano
Root position from E4: E4, A4, B4, D5. Middle C is C4.
E7sus4 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 E as its lowest note.
0 2 0 2 0 0 (low E to high e)
Sounds E2 B2 D3 A3 B3 E4
x 7 9 7 10 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 B3 D4 A4 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 E7sus4
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 | E A B D | E7sus4 | |
| 1st inversion | A B D E | E7sus4/A | |
| 2nd inversion | B D E A | Bm11 (also read as E7sus4/B) | |
| 3rd inversion | D E A B | E7sus4/D |
Where E7sus4 fits
E7sus4 is V7sus4 in A major. The usual move is E7sus4 → E7: the fourth, A, falls a half step to the third G# while the seventh D stays. In modal jazz and gospel it is often left unresolved.