Tools / Chords / A♭ suspended 4th

A♭ suspended 4th chord on ukulele (A♭sus4)

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

Ukulele · A♭sus4/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-4

contains A♭, D♭, E♭. A♭ suspended 4th is an intermediate grip with a wide stretch across the first four frets.

A♭sus4/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-41-3-4-4

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

A♭1Root

D♭4Perfect 4th

E♭5Perfect 5th

Formula 1, 4, 5

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

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

Root positionA♭–D♭–E♭A♭sus4Bass A♭

First inversionD♭–E♭–A♭A♭sus4/D♭Bass D♭

Second inversionE♭–A♭–D♭A♭sus4/E♭Bass E♭

Why it sounds like that

A♭ suspended 4th is built 1, 4, 5 from A♭: A♭, D♭, E♭. The perfect 4th from A♭ to D♭ replaces the major 3rd, so the chord has no leading tone and no tritone. Compare A♭ major, which uses C instead of D♭.

What goes wrong with A♭ suspended 4th?

Letting the ring finger collapse and mute the E string.
Pressing the pinky too hard and bending the A string sharp.

When to use it

A♭ suspended 4th works as a passing chord in A♭ major, often between A♭ major and D♭ major in the I–IV–V–I progression (A♭–D♭–E♭–A♭). It suits gospel and R&B where the suspension adds lift. Try it before A♭ major or D♭ major.

Changing to and from A♭ suspended 4th

Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives A suspended 4th.
Sliding the shape up two frets to the 3rd fret gives B♭ suspended 4th.

Which voicing to use

The default voicing at 1-3-4-4 puts E♭ in the bass, giving a suspended feel. The 6-3-4-4 shape moves E♭ to the bass but higher on the neck. Use the 6-8-×-6 voicing when you need A♭ in the bass and want to skip the E string.

How do you play an A♭ suspended 4th chord on ukulele?

A♭sus4/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-4

Intermediate● On the diagram

A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 4 4: index finger on the G string at fret 1, middle finger on the C string at fret 3, ring finger on the E string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 4.

Tip — The hardest part is holding the three-fret span between the index finger on fret 1 and the pinky on fret 4.

String-by-string breakdown

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

A♭sus4/E♭ inversion · 6-3-4-4

Intermediate

A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 3rd fret as 6 3 4 4: pinky finger on the G string at fret 6, index finger on the C string at fret 3, middle finger on the E string at fret 4 and ring finger on the A string at fret 4.

String-by-string breakdown

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

6th fret

Intermediate

A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 6th fret as 6 8 × 6: index finger on the G string at fret 6, ring finger on the C string at fret 8 and middle finger on the A string at fret 6. The E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

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

8th fret

Intermediate

A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 8th fret as 8 8 9 ×: index finger on the G string at fret 8, middle finger on the C string at fret 8 and ring finger on the E string at fret 9. The A string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	8	1	E♭ (5)
3 (C)	8	2	A♭ (1)
2 (E)	9	3	D♭ (4)
1 (A)	muted	—	—

A♭sus4/E♭ inversion · 6-3-4-6

Intermediate

A♭ suspended 4th is played at the 3rd fret as 6 3 4 6: ring finger on the G string at fret 6, index finger on the C string at fret 3, middle finger on the E string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

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

Common questions

How is A♭ suspended 4th written?

A♭ suspended 4th is written A♭sus or A♭sus4. The ASCII root spelling is Ab. 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 raises the 3rd to D♭, while A♭ suspended 2nd lowers it to B♭. Both omit the major 3rd, but the 4th creates a stronger pull toward the 3rd.

Can A♭ suspended 4th replace A♭ major in a progression?

A♭ suspended 4th can replace A♭ major briefly to delay resolution. It works best when the next chord is A♭ major or D♭ major.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

A♭ (1)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

D♭ (4)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

D♭ (4)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

D♭ (4)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

D♭ (4)

3 (C)

A♭ (1)

2 (E)

muted

—

1 (A)

E♭ (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

E♭ (5)

3 (C)

A♭ (1)

2 (E)

D♭ (4)

1 (A)

muted

—

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

D♭ (4)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

E♭ (5)