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A♭ suspended 4th chord on guitar (A♭sus4)
Also called or written A♭sus4, A♭sus or A♭ Suspended
A♭ suspended 4th contains A♭, D♭ and E♭. The 4th fret barre shape puts the root on the low E string and requires a full index barre.
How it is built
Formula 1, 4, 5
- Root positionA♭–D♭–E♭A♭sus44-4-6-6-4-4
- First inversionD♭–E♭–A♭A♭sus4/D♭×-4-6-6-4-4
- Second inversionE♭–A♭–D♭A♭sus4/E♭×-6-6-6-4-4
How do you play an A♭ suspended 4th chord on guitar?
A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 4th fret as 4 4 6 6 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the D string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 6.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 4 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 4 | D♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
IntermediateThe full barre at the 4th fret must hold down the low E and high e while the ring and pinky stretch to the 6th fret.
4th fret · 4-6-6-6-4-4
A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 6 6 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, middle finger on the A string at fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 6.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 2 | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 4 | D♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
A♭sus4/D♭ inversion
A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 4th fret as × 4 6 6 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the D string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 6. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 4 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 4 | D♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
A♭sus4/E♭ inversion · fret 4
A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 4th fret as × 6 6 6 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, middle finger on the A string at fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 6. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 2 | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 4 | D♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
A♭sus4/E♭ inversion · fret 11
A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 11th fret as 11 11 11 13 × ×: barre your index finger across fret 11 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 13. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (4) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ suspended 4th is built 1, 4, 5 from A♭. The perfect 4th between A♭ and D♭ replaces the major 3rd, creating an unresolved sound. Compare it with A♭ major, which has C instead of D♭.
What goes wrong with A♭ suspended 4th?
- Letting the high e string buzz under the barre; roll the index finger slightly onto its side.
- Allowing the ring finger to touch the G string and mute it; keep it arched over that string.
When to use it
A♭ suspended 4th fits A♭ major progressions like A♭–D♭–E♭–A♭, the I–IV–V–I. Use it in jazz or pop when you want a suspended colour before resolving to A♭ major.
Changing to and from A♭ suspended 4th
- Slide the shape down one fret to the 3rd fret to play G suspended 4th.
- Move to A♭ major by lifting the ring and pinky, then fretting the D string at the 6th fret and the G string at the 5th fret.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret barre voicing is the default and keeps the root A♭ in the bass. The A♭sus4/C♯ inversion puts the 4th in the bass for a softer, less grounded sound.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ suspended 4th written?
A♭ suspended 4th is written A♭sus or A♭sus4. On a keyboard, type Ab for the root. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ suspended 4th and A♭ suspended 2nd?
A♭ suspended 4th replaces the major 3rd with a perfect 4th, D♭. A♭ suspended 2nd replaces it with a major 2nd, B♭, giving a more open, airy sound.
Can I play A♭ suspended 4th without a barre?
Yes, the A♭sus4/C♯ inversion omits the low E string and uses a partial barre on the top five strings. But it still requires barring at the 4th fret.