Also written Fsus4, Fsus or F Suspended
F suspended 4th contains F, B♭, and C. The 1st-fret shape is a stretch, but the inversion at the 8th fret uses a barre for a warmer voicing.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
F suspended 4th is built from the formula 1, 4, 5 — the root F, the perfect fourth B♭, and the perfect fifth C. The fourth replaces the third, which removes the major or minor quality and leaves an open, unresolved sound. Compare it with F major, where the third is A.
F suspended 4th works as a suspended colour in F major progressions like F–B♭–C–F, the I–IV–V–I, where it delays the resolution of F major. It also fits rock, pop, and gospel when a chord needs to hover before landing.
The 1st-fret shape puts F in the bass for a rooted, stable sound. The Fsus4/C inversion places C in the bass, which softens the chord and works well when the bass line is descending toward B♭.
F suspended 4th is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 3 3: index finger on the E string at fret 1, middle finger on the A string at fret 3, ring finger on the D string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 3.
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) | 1 | 1 | F (1) |
| 3 (A) | 3 | 2 | C (5) |
| 2 (D) | 3 | 3 | F (1) |
| 1 (G) | 3 | 4 | B♭ (4) |
F suspended 4th is played at the 13th fret as 13 15 15 15: index finger on the E string at fret 13, middle finger on the A string at fret 15, ring finger on the D string at fret 15 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 15.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 13 | 1 | F (1) |
| 3 (A) | 15 | 2 | C (5) |
| 2 (D) | 15 | 3 | F (1) |
| 1 (G) | 15 | 4 | B♭ (4) |
F suspended 4th is played at the 8th fret as 8 8 8 10: barre your index finger across fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 10.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 3 (A) | 8 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 2 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (4) |
| 1 (G) | 10 | 4 | F (1) |
F suspended 4th is written as Fsus or Fsus4. The symbol Fsus4 specifies the fourth explicitly, while Fsus assumes it.
F suspended 4th replaces the third with the fourth, B♭. F suspended 2nd replaces the third with the second, G, creating an even more open sound.
Yes, F suspended 4th can resolve to F minor by moving the fourth down a half step to the minor third, A♭. This resolution is common in classical and folk music.