E♭ sus4 chord (E♭sus4)

E♭ sus4 is a 3-note sus4 chord: E♭ – A♭ – B♭. It sounds suspended, eager to return to the major chord. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio. Also called D♯ sus4 (D♯sus4).

NotesE♭ – A♭ – B♭
Formula1 – 4 – 5
SymbolE♭sus4 · E♭sus
EnharmonicD♯ sus4 (D♯sus4)

E♭ sus4 on guitar

Barre at fret 6 (A shape)
Barre at fret 11 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 6)

Barre fret 6 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string.
Finger 2 (middle) on fret 8 of the 4th string (D).
Finger 3 (ring finger) on fret 8 of the 3rd string (G).
Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 9 of the 2nd string (B).
Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (E♭). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

E♭ sus4 on piano

In root position, play E♭ – A♭ – B♭ from bottom to top with fingers 1, 3 and 5 of your right hand (thumb, middle and pinky). With your left hand you usually play just the root (E♭) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: A♭ – B♭ – E♭
Second inversion: B♭ – E♭ – A♭

E♭ sus4 on ukulele

From fret 1
From fret 6

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of E♭ sus4

E♭1 · root
A♭4 · perfect fourth
B♭5 · perfect fifth

It usually resolves to the major chord with the same root (Xsus4 → X): a classic embellishment in strumming and endings.

Progressions with E♭sus4

Suspend and resolve: Isus4 – I

E♭sus4 usually resolves to E♭: you change just one note and the chord “settles”.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the E♭ suspended 4 chord?

E♭ suspended 4 (E♭sus4) has 3 notes: E♭ (root), A♭ (perfect fourth), B♭ (perfect fifth).

How do you play E♭ suspended 4 on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 6: x 6 8 8 9 6 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre fret 6 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string. Place finger 2 (middle) on fret 8 of the 4th string (D). Finger 3 (ring) on fret 8 of the 3rd string (G). Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 9 of the 2nd string (B). Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

Is E♭sus4 the same as D♯sus4?

Yes: E♭ suspended 4 and D♯ suspended 4 sound the same and are played the same way (they are enharmonic). The spelling depends on the song’s key; you’ll see both names in sheet music and songbooks.

How do you write E-flat suspended 4 in chord notation?

It is written E♭sus4; you will also see E♭sus. Chord notation uses letter names: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

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