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B♭ sus4 chord (B♭sus4)

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

  • NotesB♭ – E♭ – F
  • Formula1 – 4 – 5
  • SymbolB♭sus4 · B♭sus
  • EnharmonicA♯ sus4 (A♯sus4)

B♭ sus4 on guitar

  • ×12341B♭FB♭E♭F
    Barre at fret 1 (A shape)
  • 6123411B♭FB♭E♭FB♭
    Barre at fret 6 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 1)

  1. Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string.
  2. Finger 2 (middle) on fret 3 of the 4th string (D).
  3. Place finger 3 (ring finger) at fret 3 on the 3rd string (G).
  4. Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 4 of string 2 (B).
  5. 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 (B♭). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

B♭ sus4 on piano

FB♭E♭

In root position, play B♭ – E♭ – F 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 (B♭) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

  • First inversion: E♭ – F – B♭
  • Second inversion: F – B♭ – E♭

B♭ sus4 on ukulele

  • B♭E♭FB♭
    From fret 1
  • 3B♭FB♭E♭
    From fret 3

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 B♭ sus4

  • B♭1 · root
  • E♭4 · perfect fourth
  • F5 · perfect fifth

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

Progressions with B♭sus4

Suspend and resolve: Isus4 – I

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

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B♭ suspended 4 chord?

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

How do you play B♭ suspended 4 on guitar?

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

Is B♭sus4 the same as A♯sus4?

Yes: B♭ suspended 4 and A♯ 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 B-flat suspended 4 as a chord symbol?

It is written B♭sus4; you may also see B♭sus. Letter notation uses C, D, E, F, G, A and B for the seven note names.

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