Bsus4 chord on guitar

Bsus4 is B, E and F♯. The easiest shape is x-2-4-4-0-0. Tap Play, then slow it down.

x-2-4-4-0-0 · open · easy

Notes: B · E · F♯
Formula: 1 · 4 · 5
First shape: x-2-4-4-0-0

How to play Bsus4 on guitar

Shape 1, x-2-4-4-0-0, reading from the low E string on the left:

B: index finger, 2nd fret of the A string.
F♯: middle finger, 4th fret of the D string.
B: ring finger, 4th fret of the G string.
Leave the B and high E strings open: B and E.
Strum from the A string down; the low E string stays silent.

Arch your fingers so their tips come down vertically. That keeps them off the open strings, which have to ring for the chord to sound complete.

Other ways to play Bsus4

7-9-9-9-7-7: barre shape at the 7th fret, medium. Built on the Esus4 open shape with the barre as a movable nut; the root is on the 6th string.
x-2-4-4-5-2: barre shape at the 2nd fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.
x-14-14-11-12-x: movable shape at the 11th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.

Playing Bsus4 with a capo

A capo turns an open chord into Bsus4: capo on the 2nd fret and play the open Asus4 shape (x-0-2-2-3-0) or capo on the 7th fret and play the open Esus4 shape (0-2-2-2-0-0). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Moving between Bsus4 and its neighbours

The chords Bsus4 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

B (resolves down to the third): Bsus4 (x-2-4-4-0-0) to B (x-2-4-4-4-2): your middle and ring fingers stay put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 4th fret. Shared notes: B and F♯. B on guitar
E (IV in B major): Bsus4 (x-2-4-4-0-0) to E (0-2-2-1-0-0): move the index finger to the G string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 2nd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. B and E carry over from one chord to the other. E on guitar
F♯ (V in B major): Bsus4 (x-2-4-4-0-0) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 4th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the D string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. F♯ carries over from one chord to the other. F♯ on guitar

Bsus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. Bsus4 holds the fourth where the third should be; drop it a half step or whole step into B or Bm to resolve. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Practice Bsus4 in two minutes

Before strumming, play x-2-4-4-0-0 note by note: B then F♯ then B then B then E. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Finish by moving between x-2-4-4-0-0 and 7-9-9-9-7-7 to learn two positions of the same chord.

Keys and progressions with Bsus4

Bsus4 on piano and ukulele

Bsus4 on piano and ukulele uses the same 3 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Related B chords on guitar

Other suspended fourth chords

Bsus4 on guitar: questions

What notes are in Bsus4 on guitar?

B, E and F♯. In the x-2-4-4-0-0 shape the strings play B (A string), F♯ (D string), B (G string), B (B string, open) and E (high E string, open), so B are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play Bsus4 on guitar?

x-2-4-4-0-0, the first shape on this page. No barre: some strings ring open.

Is Bsus4 a barre chord on guitar?

Not usually: x-2-4-4-0-0 needs no barre. The barre versions come later, higher on the neck.

Which string does Bsus4 start on?

In the x-2-4-4-0-0 shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 2nd fret, which is B, the root. Skip the low E string.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes B, E and F♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.