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Guitar chords · Suspended 4th

E♭sus4 chord on guitar (Ebsus4)

E♭sus4 (E♭ 4th) has three notes: E♭, A♭ and B♭, the , 4 and 5.

Shapes

How to play E♭sus4

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

E♭sus4 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 6

    6fr×R5R45E♭B♭E♭A♭B♭
  • E shape · fret 11

    11frR5R45RE♭B♭E♭A♭B♭E♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes E♭sus4 suspended 4th

A sus4 chord replaces the 3rd with the 4th. The 4th wants to fall back to the 3rd, so a sus4 chord usually resolves to the major chord on the same .

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 4th makes E♭sus4 a 4th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. E♭Rroot
  2. A♭4essential
  3. B♭5optional
EADGBE0135791215E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭A♭B♭B♭A♭B♭A♭B♭A♭B♭A♭B♭A♭B♭A♭B♭
  • E♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

E♭sus4 usually resolves to E♭, as the 4th falls to the 3rd.

E♭sus4 and D♯sus4 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with E♭sus4

E♭sus4 belongs to ten keys: C♭ major (IIIsus4), G♭ major (VIsus4), D♭ major (IIsus4), A♭ major (Vsus4), E♭ major (Isus4), A♭ minor (Vsus4), E♭ minor (Isus4), B♭ minor (IVsus4), F minor (VIIsus4) and C minor (IIIsus4).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

E♭sus4 over another bass note

A keeps E♭sus4 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • E♭sus4/B♭

    E♭sus4 with its 5th, B♭, in the bass.

Questions

E♭sus4, in short

What notes are in the E♭sus4 chord?
E♭sus4 (E♭ 4th) has three notes: E♭, A♭ and B♭, the , 4 and 5.
How do you play E♭sus4 on guitar?
E♭sus4 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11.
What key is E♭sus4 in?
E♭sus4 belongs to ten keys: C♭ major (IIIsus4), G♭ major (VIsus4), D♭ major (IIsus4), A♭ major (Vsus4), E♭ major (Isus4), A♭ minor (Vsus4), E♭ minor (Isus4), B♭ minor (IVsus4), F minor (VIIsus4) and C minor (IIIsus4).
Is E♭sus4 the same as D♯sus4?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. E♭sus4 is the spelling in C♭ major, G♭ major, D♭ major, A♭ major, E♭ major, A♭ minor, E♭ minor, B♭ minor, F minor and C minor; D♯sus4 only in B major, F♯ major, C♯ major, G♯ minor, D♯ minor and A♯ minor.
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