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E♭ suspended 4th chord on guitar (E♭sus4)
Also called or written E♭sus4, E♭sus or E♭ Suspended
E♭ suspended 4th contains E♭, A♭ and B♭. The 11th 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 positionE♭–A♭–B♭E♭sus411-11-13-13-11-11
- First inversionA♭–B♭–E♭E♭sus4/A♭×-11-13-13-11-11
- Second inversionB♭–E♭–A♭E♭sus4/B♭6-6-6-8-×-×
How do you play an E♭ suspended 4th chord on guitar?
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 11th fret as 11 11 13 13 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, ring finger on the D string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 13.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 4 | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
IntermediateThe full barre at the 11th fret must hold down the low E and high e while the ring and pinky stretch to the 13th fret.
11th fret · 11-13-13-13-11-11
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 11th fret as 11 13 13 13 11 11: barre your index finger across 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.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 4 | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
E♭sus4/A♭ inversion
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 11th fret as × 11 13 13 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, ring finger on the D string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 13. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 4 | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
E♭sus4/B♭ inversion · fret 6
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. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (4) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
E♭sus4/B♭ inversion · fret 11
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 11th fret as × 13 13 13 11 11: barre your index finger across 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. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 4 | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ suspended 4th is built 1, 4, 5 from E♭. The perfect 4th between E♭ and A♭ replaces the major 3rd, creating an unresolved sound. Compare it with E♭ major, which has G instead of A♭.
What goes wrong with E♭ 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
E♭ suspended 4th fits E♭ major progressions like E♭–A♭–B♭–E♭, the I–IV–V–I. Use it in jazz or pop when you want a suspended colour before resolving to E♭ major.
Changing to and from E♭ suspended 4th
- Slide the shape down one fret to the 10th fret to play D suspended 4th.
- Move to E♭ major by lifting the ring and pinky, then fretting the D string at the 13th fret and the G string at the 12th fret.
Which voicing to use
The 11th fret barre voicing is the default and keeps the root E♭ in the bass. The E♭sus4/G♯ inversion puts the 4th in the bass for a softer, less grounded sound.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ suspended 4th written?
E♭ suspended 4th is written E♭sus or E♭sus4. On a keyboard, type Eb for the root. 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 major 3rd with a perfect 4th, A♭. E♭ suspended 2nd replaces it with a major 2nd, F, giving a more open, airy sound.
Can I play E♭ suspended 4th without a barre?
Yes, the E♭sus4/G♯ inversion omits the low E string and uses a partial barre on the top five strings. But it still requires barring at the 11th fret.