Esus4 chord (E suspended fourth)

The Esus4 chord (E suspended fourth) has 3 notes: E, A and B. It is a suspended chord: the fourth replaces the third. It sounds suspended and eager to fall back to major. It usually resolves to the same major chord (Dsus4 → D) exactly where the lyric hesitates.

How to play it on guitar

An x is a string you don't play and 0 is an open string. The number on the left is the fret where the shape starts.

Open
002200

Barre chord · fret 7
x779(10)7

Barre chord · fret 9
(12)(12)99(10)x

Notes in the chord

Note	Interval
E	Root
A	Perfect fourth
B	Perfect fifth

Inversions

Root position: E – A – B
First inversion: A – B – E
Second inversion: B – E – A

On piano

The highlighted keys make the chord in root position.

On ukulele

Usual shape
2452

Higher up the neck · fret 4
4457

Keys it belongs to

Esus4 is one of the chords of these keys. The degree tells you its role.

Progressions to practise it

Open them in the chord progression player to loop them and write over them.

E – Esus4 – E – Esus4 in E major Play in the chord player
A – D – Esus4 – E in A major Play in the chord player

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Esus4 chord?

Esus4 has 3 notes: E, A and B. It is a suspended chord: the fourth replaces the third.

How do you play Esus4 on guitar?

The usual shape is 002200, read from the low E string to the high E string.

What keys is Esus4 in?

Esus4 is in E major (Isus4) and A major (Vsus4).

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