Tools / Chords / B♭ suspended 4th

B♭ suspended 4th chord on guitar (B♭sus4)

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

B♭ suspended 4th contains B♭, E♭ and F. The 6th fret barre shape puts the root on the low E string and demands a full index barre.

6th fret · 6-6-8-8-6-66-6-8-8-6-6

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

B♭1Root

E♭4Perfect 4th

F5Perfect 5th

Formula 1, 4, 5

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

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

Root positionB♭–E♭–FB♭sus4Bass B♭

First inversionE♭–F–B♭B♭sus4/E♭Bass E♭

Second inversionF–B♭–E♭B♭sus4/FBass F

Why it sounds like that

B♭ suspended 4th is built 1, 4, 5 from B♭. The perfect 4th between B♭ and E♭ replaces the major 3rd, creating an unresolved sound. Compare it with B♭ major, which has D instead of E♭.

What goes wrong with B♭ 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

B♭ suspended 4th fits B♭ major progressions like B♭–E♭–F–B♭, the I–IV–V–I. Use it in rock or gospel when you want a suspended colour before resolving to B♭ major.

Changing to and from B♭ suspended 4th

Slide the shape down one fret to the 5th fret to play A suspended 4th.
Move to B♭ major by lifting the ring and pinky, then fretting the D string at the 8th fret and the G string at the 7th fret.

Which voicing to use

The 6th fret barre voicing is the default and keeps the root B♭ in the bass. The B♭sus4/E♭ inversion puts the 4th in the bass for a softer, less grounded sound.

How do you play a B♭ suspended 4th chord on guitar?

6th fret · 6-6-8-8-6-6

Barre● On the diagram

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

Tip — The full barre at the 6th fret must hold down the low E and high e while the ring and pinky stretch to the 8th fret.

String-by-string breakdown

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

6th fret · 6-8-8-8-6-6

Barre

B♭ suspended 4th is played at the 6th fret as 6 8 8 8 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the A string at fret 8, ring finger on the D string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

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

B♭sus4/E♭ inversion

Barre

B♭ suspended 4th is played at the 6th fret as × 6 8 8 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 8. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

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

B♭sus4/F inversion · fret 1

Barre

B♭ suspended 4th is played at the 1st fret as 1 1 1 3 × ×: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 3. The B and high e strings stay muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	1	1 (barre)	F (5)
5 (A)	1	1 (barre)	B♭ (1)
4 (D)	1	1 (barre)	E♭ (4)
3 (G)	3	4	B♭ (1)
2 (B)	muted	—	—
1 (e)	muted	—	—

B♭sus4/F inversion · fret 6

Barre

B♭ suspended 4th is played at the 6th fret as × 8 8 8 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the A string at fret 8, ring finger on the D string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 8. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

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

Common questions

How is B♭ suspended 4th written?

B♭ suspended 4th is written B♭sus or B♭sus4. On a keyboard, type Bb for the root. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

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

B♭ suspended 4th replaces the major 3rd with a perfect 4th, E♭. B♭ suspended 2nd replaces it with a major 2nd, C, giving a more open, airy sound.

Can I play B♭ suspended 4th without a barre?

Yes, the B♭sus4/E♭ inversion omits the low E string and uses a partial barre on the top five strings. But it still requires barring at the 6th fret.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (4)

4 (D)

B♭ (1)

3 (G)

E♭ (4)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

F (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

5 (A)

F (5)

4 (D)

B♭ (1)

3 (G)

E♭ (4)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

F (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (4)

4 (D)

B♭ (1)

3 (G)

E♭ (4)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

F (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

F (5)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

E♭ (4)

3 (G)

B♭ (1)

2 (B)

muted

—

1 (e)

muted

—

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

F (5)

4 (D)

B♭ (1)

3 (G)

E♭ (4)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

F (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)