Also written Asus4, Asus or A Suspended
A suspended 4th contains A, D, and E. The 5th-fret shape spreads across four strings and needs a clean three-fret reach.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
A suspended 4th is built from the formula 1, 4, 5 — the root A, the perfect fourth D, and the perfect fifth E. The fourth replaces the third, which removes the major or minor quality and leaves an open, unresolved sound. Compare it with A major, where the third is C♯.
A suspended 4th works as a suspended colour in A major progressions like A–D–E–A, the I–IV–V–I, where it delays the resolution of A major. It also fits folk, rock, and pop when a chord needs to hover before landing.
The 5th-fret shape puts A in the bass for a rooted, stable sound. The Asus4/E inversion places E in the bass, which softens the chord and works well when the bass line is descending toward D.
A suspended 4th is played at the 5th fret as 5 7 7 7: index finger on the E string at fret 5, middle finger on the A string at fret 7, ring finger on the D string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 7.
Tip — The three-fret stretch from the index on the 4th string to the pinky on the 1st string demands a wide hand span.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 5 | 1 | A (1) |
| 3 (A) | 7 | 2 | E (5) |
| 2 (D) | 7 | 3 | A (1) |
| 1 (G) | 7 | 4 | D (4) |
A suspended 4th is played in open position as 0 0 0 2: index finger on the G string at fret 2. The E, A and D strings ring open.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | open | — | E (5) |
| 3 (A) | open | — | A (1) |
| 2 (D) | open | — | D (4) |
| 1 (G) | 2 | 1 | A (1) |
A suspended 4th is played at the 12th fret as 12 12 12 14: barre your index finger across fret 12 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 14.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 12 | 1 (barre) | E (5) |
| 3 (A) | 12 | 1 (barre) | A (1) |
| 2 (D) | 12 | 1 (barre) | D (4) |
| 1 (G) | 14 | 4 | A (1) |
A suspended 4th is written as Asus or Asus4. The symbol Asus4 specifies the fourth explicitly, while Asus assumes it.
A suspended 4th replaces the third with the fourth, D. A suspended 2nd replaces the third with the second, B, creating an even more open sound.
Yes, A suspended 4th can resolve to A minor by moving the fourth down a half step to the minor third, C. This resolution is common in classical and folk music.