Ebsus4 Eb suspended fourth chord
- Notes
- Eb Ab Bb
- Formula
- 1 4 5
- Semitones
- 0 5 7 above the root
- Also written
- D#sus4 (D# G# A#)
- Other symbols
- Ebsus
Eb to Ab is a perfect fourth (5 semitones), Ab to Bb is a major second (2 semitones). The third is replaced by the fourth (Ab), which wants to fall to the third. With Ab in the bass the same three keys read as Absus2.
Ebsus4 on the piano
Root position from Eb4: Eb4, Ab4, Bb4. Middle C is C4.
Ebsus4 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 Eb as its lowest note.
x 6 8 8 9 6 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Bb3 Eb4 Ab4 Bb4
11 13 13 13 11 11 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Bb3 Eb4 Ab4 Bb4 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 Ebsus4
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 | Eb Ab Bb | Ebsus4 | |
| 1st inversion | Ab Bb Eb | Absus2 (also read as Ebsus4/Ab) | |
| 2nd inversion | Bb Eb Ab | Bb7sus4 (also read as Ebsus4/Bb) |
Where Ebsus4 fits
A sus chord has no third, so it is neither major nor minor and has no fixed place in a key. Ebsus4 usually resolves to Eb or Ebm: the fourth, Ab, falls a half or whole step to the third. Its most common job is Vsus4 in Ab major, delaying the V chord: Ebsus4 → Eb → Ab.