Also written E♭sus4, E♭sus or E♭ Suspended
contains E♭, A♭, B♭. E♭ suspended 4th is an intermediate grip with a wide stretch across the first four frets.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
E♭ suspended 4th is built 1, 4, 5 from E♭: E♭, A♭, B♭. The perfect 4th from E♭ to A♭ replaces the major 3rd, so the chord has no leading tone and no tritone. Compare E♭ major, which uses G instead of A♭.
E♭ suspended 4th works as a passing chord in E♭ major, often between E♭ major and A♭ major in the I–IV–V–I progression (E♭–A♭–B♭–E♭). It suits gospel and R&B where the suspension adds lift. Try it before E♭ major or A♭ major.
The default voicing at 1-3-4-1 puts E♭ in the bass, giving a root-position sound. The 3-3-4-6 shape moves E♭ to the bass but higher on the neck. Use the 8-8-6-6 voicing when you need A♭ in the bass for a different inversion.
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 4 1: index finger on the G string at fret 1, ring finger on the C string at fret 3, pinky finger on the E string at fret 4 and middle finger on the A string at fret 1.
Tip — The hardest part is holding the three-fret span between the index finger on fret 1 and the pinky on fret 4.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (4) |
| 3 (C) | 3 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 4 | A♭ (4) |
| 1 (A) | 1 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 3 4 6: index finger on the G string at fret 3, 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 6.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 3 | 1 | B♭ (5) |
| 3 (C) | 3 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 3 | A♭ (4) |
| 1 (A) | 6 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 6th fret as 8 8 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the G string at fret 8 and ring finger on the C string at fret 8.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 8 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (C) | 8 | 3 | A♭ (4) |
| 2 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 10th fret as × 10 11 11: index finger on the C string at fret 10, middle finger on the E string at fret 11 and ring finger on the A string at fret 11. The G string stays muted.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | muted | — | — |
| 3 (C) | 10 | 1 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (E) | 11 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | 11 | 3 | A♭ (4) |
E♭ suspended 4th is played at the 1st fret as 3 3 4 1: middle finger on the G string at fret 3, ring finger on the C string at fret 3, pinky finger on the E string at fret 4 and index finger on the A string at fret 1.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 3 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
| 3 (C) | 3 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 4 | A♭ (4) |
| 1 (A) | 1 | 1 | B♭ (5) |
E♭ suspended 4th is written E♭sus or E♭sus4. The ASCII root spelling is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
E♭ suspended 4th raises the 3rd to A♭, while E♭ suspended 2nd lowers it to F. Both omit the major 3rd, but the 4th creates a stronger pull toward the 3rd.
E♭ suspended 4th can replace E♭ major briefly to delay resolution. It works best when the next chord is E♭ major or A♭ major.