E♭sus4 (E flat suspended fourth) is built from 3 notes: E♭, A♭, B♭.
- E♭root
- A♭perfect fourth
- B♭perfect fifth
Formula: 1, 4, 5
How to play E♭sus4 on guitar
x 6 8 8 9 611 13 13 13 11 11Read the diagrams with the low E string on the left. × means do not play that string, ○ means play it open.
Easier way: there is no open E♭sus4 shape, so it is usually played with one of the movable shapes above. With a capo you can use a shape you already know: capo on fret 1 and play the Dsus4 shape, or capo on fret 3 and play the Csus4 shape.
How to play E♭sus4 on piano
Play E♭, A♭, B♭ together. With your right hand, use fingers 1, 3 and 5 (thumb on E♭). Your left hand can play E♭ an octave lower for a fuller sound.
How E♭sus4 is used
A sus4 chord takes out the third and puts the fourth in its place. E♭sus4 has A♭ where E♭ has G. With no third, the chord is neither major nor minor, and it sounds like it is waiting to go somewhere.
Most of the time the A♭ drops one step and the chord settles back into E♭. Try these:
- E♭ - E♭sus4 - E♭: a quick change that adds movement while you strum one chord.
- E♭sus4 - E♭ - A♭: the sus4 builds a little tension before the five chord resolves to A♭.
Related chords
Change this chord into another key with the Chord Transposer, or look up any other chord or scale in the Chord and Scale Finder.