E♭sus4 chord
E♭sus4 is E♭, A♭ and B♭: 1–4–5 built on E♭. See and hear it on all three instruments below.
On guitar
x-x-1-3-4-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · A♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- x-x-1-3-4-4
E♭sus4 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · E♭–A♭–B♭ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- E♭ · A♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
E♭sus4 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-3-4-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · A♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- 1-3-4-1
E♭sus4 and the chords around it
Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.
- E♭sus4 → E♭ (resolves down to the third)
Guitar: E♭sus4 (x-x-1-3-4-4) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your index and middle fingers stay put, your ring finger lands on the high E string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. The two chords share E♭ and B♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭sus4 to E♭: play E♭ in root position (E♭–G–B♭) and E♭ and B♭ stay under the same fingers, while A♭ moves down to G. E♭ - E♭sus4 → A♭ (IV in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭sus4 (x-x-1-3-4-4) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 5th fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 6th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share E♭ and A♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭sus4 to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ and A♭ stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves up to C. A♭ - E♭sus4 → B♭ (V in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭sus4 (x-x-1-3-4-4) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. B♭ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: E♭sus4 to B♭: play B♭ in 1st inversion (D–F–B♭) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while E♭ moves down to D and A♭ down to F. B♭
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, Dsus4 shape; capo 6, Asus4 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Dsus4 shape; capo 3, Csus4 shape.
How E♭sus4 is built
E♭sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. The suspended note wants to fall back, so E♭sus4 usually resolves to E♭ major: play E♭sus4 then E♭ and you'll hear it settle.
Count keys (black and white) from E♭: 5 half steps up to A♭ then 2 half steps up to B♭. Written with flats or sharps the other way round it's D♯sus4; the sound is identical.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | root | 0 | |
| A♭ | perfect fourth | 5 | |
| B♭ | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with E♭sus4
E♭sus4 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
Chords close to E♭sus4
- E♭sus4 and E♭ differ by one note: A♭ in E♭sus4, G in E♭. They share E♭ and B♭. E♭
- E♭sus4 and E♭sus2 differ by one note: A♭ in E♭sus4, F in E♭sus2. They share E♭ and B♭. E♭sus2
Chords that share most of their notes with E♭sus4: A♭sus2, A♭add9, A♭9, C♯sus2, E♭, E♭m.
Every E♭ chord
E♭sus4 chord: questions
What notes are in the E♭sus4 chord?
E♭, A♭ and B♭. E♭sus4 is built 1–4–5 from E♭: A♭ is the perfect fourth and B♭ is the perfect fifth.
How do you play E♭sus4 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-1-3-4-4 (movable). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play E♭sus4 on piano?
Play E♭, A♭ and B♭ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. E♭ sits on the black key between D and E. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play E♭sus4 on ukulele?
1-3-4-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is E♭sus4 in?
E♭sus4 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
What's the difference between E♭sus4 and E♭?
E♭sus4 and E♭ differ by one note: A♭ in E♭sus4, G in E♭. They share E♭ and B♭.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.