Tools / Chords / E♭ suspended 4th

E♭ suspended 4th chord on bass (E♭sus4)

Also written E♭sus4, E♭sus or E♭ Suspended

E♭ suspended 4th contains E♭, A♭, and B♭. The 11th-fret shape is a stretch, but the inversion at the 6th fret uses a barre for a warmer voicing.

11th fret11-13-13-13

Positions on the neck1 of 2

How it’s built

E♭1Root

A♭4Perfect 4th

B♭5Perfect 5th

Formula 1, 4, 5

Positions on the neck1 of 2

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionE♭–A♭–B♭E♭sus4Bass E♭

First inversionA♭–B♭–E♭E♭sus4/A♭Bass A♭

Second inversionB♭–E♭–A♭E♭sus4/B♭Bass B♭

Why it sounds like that

E♭ suspended 4th is built from the formula 1, 4, 5 — the root E♭, the perfect fourth A♭, and the perfect fifth B♭. The fourth replaces the third, which removes the major or minor quality and leaves an open, unresolved sound. Compare it with E♭ major, where the third is G.

What goes wrong with E♭ suspended 4th?

Letting the pinky collapse and mute the 1st string.
Pressing the middle finger too flat and deadening the 2nd string.
Rushing the shift so the index lands short of the 11th fret.

When to use it

E♭ suspended 4th works as a suspended colour in E♭ major progressions like E♭–A♭–B♭–E♭, the I–IV–V–I, where it delays the resolution of E♭ major. It also fits rock, pop, and gospel when a chord needs to hover before landing.

Changing to and from E♭ suspended 4th

Move to E♭ major by lifting the middle finger and placing it on the 3rd string, 12th fret while keeping the index and ring in place.
Slide the shape down two frets to the 9th fret to reach C♯ suspended 4th.

Which voicing to use

The 11th-fret shape puts E♭ in the bass for a rooted, stable sound. The E♭sus4/A♯ inversion places B♭ in the bass, which softens the chord and works well when the bass line is descending toward A♭.

How do you play an E♭ suspended 4th chord on bass?

11th fret

Intermediate● On the diagram

E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 11th fret as 11 13 13 13: index finger on the E string at fret 11, middle finger on the A string at fret 13, ring finger on the D string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 13.

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-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (E)	11	1	E♭ (1)
3 (A)	13	2	B♭ (5)
2 (D)	13	3	E♭ (1)
1 (G)	13	4	A♭ (4)

E♭sus4/B♭ inversion

Barre

E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 6th fret as 6 6 6 8: barre your index finger across fret 6 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (E)	6	1 (barre)	B♭ (5)
3 (A)	6	1 (barre)	E♭ (1)
2 (D)	6	1 (barre)	A♭ (4)
1 (G)	8	4	E♭ (1)

Common questions

How is E♭ suspended 4th written?

E♭ suspended 4th is written as E♭sus or E♭sus4. The ASCII spelling is Eb, so you may see Ebsus or Ebsus4. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between E♭ suspended 4th and E♭ suspended 2nd?

E♭ suspended 4th replaces the third with the fourth, A♭. E♭ suspended 2nd replaces the third with the second, F, creating an even more open sound.

Can E♭ suspended 4th resolve to E♭ minor?

Yes, E♭ suspended 4th can resolve to E♭ minor by moving the fourth down a half step to the minor third, G♭. This resolution is common in classical and folk music.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (E)

E♭ (1)

3 (A)

B♭ (5)

2 (D)

E♭ (1)

1 (G)

A♭ (4)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (E)

1 (barre)

B♭ (5)

3 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (1)

2 (D)

1 (barre)

A♭ (4)

1 (G)

E♭ (1)