Tools / Chords / B♭ 7th suspended 4th

B♭ 7th suspended 4th chord on ukulele (B♭7sus4)

Also written B♭7sus4, B♭ or B♭ Dominant 7th Suspended 4th

Ukulele · B♭7sus4/E♭ inversion

B♭ 7th suspended 4th contains B♭, E♭, F, and A♭. The default voicing spans four frets with a pinky stretch, making it an advanced grip.

B♭7sus4/E♭ inversion1-3-1-1

Positions on the neck1 of 4

How it’s built

B♭1Root

E♭4Perfect 4th

F5Perfect 5th

A♭♭7Minor 7th

Formula 1, 4, 5, ♭7

Positions on the neck1 of 4

Inversions

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

Root positionB♭–E♭–F–A♭B♭7sus4Bass B♭

First inversionE♭–F–A♭–B♭B♭7sus4/E♭Bass E♭

Second inversionF–A♭–B♭–E♭B♭7sus4/FBass F

Third inversionA♭–B♭–E♭–FB♭7sus4/A♭Bass A♭

Why it sounds like that

B♭ 7th suspended 4th is built from the formula 1, 4, 5, ♭7. The perfect 4th between B♭ and E♭ suspends the chord, while the minor 7th A♭ adds dominant tension. Compare it to B♭ suspended 4th, which omits the 7th.

What goes wrong with B♭ 7th suspended 4th?

Letting the pinky collapse and mute the E string.
Fretting the G string too close to the fret and buzzing.

When to use it

B♭ 7th suspended 4th works as the V chord in E♭ major, resolving to E♭ major in progressions like E♭–A♭–B♭–E♭ (I–IV–V–I). Use it in jazz and R&B for a suspended dominant sound. Compare it to B♭ minor to hear the suspended 4th against the minor 3rd.

Changing to and from B♭ 7th suspended 4th

Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives B 7th suspended 4th.
Sliding the shape up two frets to the 3rd fret gives C 7th suspended 4th.

Which voicing to use

The B♭7sus4/E♭ inversion at the 1st fret is the default shape, with E♭ in the bass. The B♭7sus4/F inversion at the 3rd fret puts F in the bass for a lighter feel, while the B♭7sus4/A♭ inversion at the 8th fret adds depth.

How do you play a B♭ 7th suspended 4th chord on ukulele?

B♭7sus4/E♭ inversion

Intermediate● On the diagram

B♭ 7th suspended 4th is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 1 1: index finger on the G string at fret 1, pinky finger on the C string at fret 3, middle finger on the E string at fret 1 and ring finger on the A string at fret 1.

Tip — The pinky must reach the 3rd fret on the C string while the other fingers hold the 1st fret, requiring a wide stretch.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	1	1	A♭ (♭7)
3 (C)	3	4	E♭ (4)
2 (E)	1	2	F (5)
1 (A)	1	3	B♭ (1)

B♭7sus4/F inversion

Intermediate

B♭ 7th suspended 4th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 5 4 6: index finger on the G string at fret 3, ring finger on the C string at fret 5, 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)	3	1	B♭ (1)
3 (C)	5	3	F (5)
2 (E)	4	2	A♭ (♭7)
1 (A)	6	4	E♭ (4)

B♭7sus4/A♭ inversion

Intermediate

B♭ 7th suspended 4th is played at the 6th fret as 8 8 6 8: middle finger on the G string at fret 8, ring finger on the C string at fret 8, index finger on the E string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	8	2	E♭ (4)
3 (C)	8	3	A♭ (♭7)
2 (E)	6	1	B♭ (1)
1 (A)	8	4	F (5)

10th fret

Intermediate

B♭ 7th suspended 4th is played at the 10th fret as 10 10 11 11: index finger on the G string at fret 10, middle finger on the C string at fret 10, ring finger on the E string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 11.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	10	1	F (5)
3 (C)	10	2	B♭ (1)
2 (E)	11	3	E♭ (4)
1 (A)	11	4	A♭ (♭7)

Common questions

How is B♭ 7th suspended 4th written?

B♭ 7th suspended 4th is written B♭7sus4 or B♭ dominant 7th suspended 4th. On a keyboard, use Bb7sus4. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between B♭7sus4 and B♭7?

B♭7sus4 replaces the major 3rd D with the perfect 4th E♭. This removes the leading tone and creates a suspended, unresolved sound.

Can B♭7sus4 be used in a minor key?

B♭7sus4 fits B♭ natural minor as the tonic chord, but it lacks the minor 3rd D♭. It works best as a dominant in E♭ major or E♭ minor.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

A♭ (♭7)

3 (C)

E♭ (4)

2 (E)

F (5)

1 (A)

B♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

B♭ (1)

3 (C)

F (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (♭7)

1 (A)

E♭ (4)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

E♭ (4)

3 (C)

A♭ (♭7)

2 (E)

B♭ (1)

1 (A)

F (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

F (5)

3 (C)

B♭ (1)

2 (E)

E♭ (4)

1 (A)

A♭ (♭7)