B♭sus4 chord on guitar

B♭sus4 is B♭, E♭ and F. The usual shape is x-1-3-3-4-1, a barre at the 1st fret. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

x-1-3-3-4-1 · barre · hard

Notes: B♭ · E♭ · F
Formula: 1 · 4 · 5
First shape: x-1-3-3-4-1

How to play B♭sus4 on guitar

Shape 1, x-1-3-3-4-1, reading from the low E string on the left:

Lay your index finger flat across the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string at the 1st fret.
Middle finger: D string, 3rd fret (F).
Ring finger: G string, 3rd fret (B♭).
Pinky: B string, 4th fret (E♭).
Don't play the low E string: start your strum on the A string.

First-fret barres feel impossible at first. Practice the same shape at the 5th fret, where it is easier, then walk it down one fret a day.
The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.
The shape stretches across four frets. Bring your thumb lower behind the neck to open the hand up.

Other ways to play B♭sus4

x-1-3-3-4-x: movable shape, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.
6-8-8-8-6-6: barre shape at the 6th fret, medium. The root is on the low E string, so you can slide this shape to play any suspended fourth chord.
x-13-13-10-11-x: movable shape at the 10th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.

Playing B♭sus4 with a capo

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Asus4 shape (x-0-2-2-3-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Esus4 shape (0-2-2-2-0-0). The chord sounds as B♭sus4 because the capo raises every string by a half step.

Changing from B♭sus4 to the chords around it

These are the changes you'll meet most often with B♭sus4, using the first shape of each chord.

B♭ (resolves down to the third): B♭sus4 (x-1-3-3-4-1) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): your index, middle and ring fingers stay put, the pinky finger goes to the B string, 3rd fret. An easy one to get up to speed. Shared notes: B♭ and F. B♭ on guitar
E♭ (IV in B♭ major): B♭sus4 (x-1-3-3-4-1) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your pinky finger stays put, move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, your ring finger lands on the high E string, 3rd fret. Listen for B♭ and E♭, which stay put while the rest moves. E♭ on guitar
F (V in B♭ major): B♭sus4 (x-1-3-3-4-1) to F (1-3-3-2-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share F, which is why the change sounds smooth. F on guitar

B♭sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. B♭sus4 holds the fourth where the third should be; drop it a half step or whole step into B♭ or B♭m to resolve. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Practice B♭sus4 in two minutes

Before strumming, play x-1-3-3-4-1 note by note: B♭ then F then B♭ then E♭ then F. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate x-1-3-3-4-1 and x-1-3-3-4-x, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

You may also see it as A♯sus4; nothing changes on the guitar.

Where B♭sus4 shows up

B♭sus4 on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try B♭sus4 on ukulele or B♭sus4 on piano, or compare them on the B♭sus4 chord page.

Related B♭ chords on guitar

Other suspended fourth chords

B♭sus4 on guitar: questions

What notes are in B♭sus4 on guitar?

B♭, E♭ and F. In the x-1-3-3-4-1 shape the strings play B♭ (A string), F (D string), B♭ (G string), E♭ (B string) and F (high E string), so B♭ and F are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play B♭sus4 on guitar?

In standard tuning B♭sus4 can't use open strings. Begin with x-1-3-3-4-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo can make it easier in some songs.

Is B♭sus4 a barre chord on guitar?

In its standard form, yes. x-1-3-3-4-1 has your index finger across the 1st fret. x-1-3-3-4-x avoids the barre.

Which string does B♭sus4 start on?

In the x-1-3-3-4-1 shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 1st fret, which is B♭, the root. Skip the low E string.

Every shape above plays only B♭, E♭ and F, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.