B♭sus4 chord on ukulele

B♭sus4 is B♭, E♭ and F. The usual shape is 3-3-1-1. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

3-3-1-1 · movable · medium

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

How to play B♭sus4 on ukulele

Shape 1, 3-3-1-1, reading from the G string on the left:

Put your index finger on the E string at the 1st fret, which is F.
Put your middle finger on the A string at the 1st fret, which is B♭.
Put your ring finger on the G string at the 3rd fret, which is B♭.
Put your pinky finger on the C string at the 3rd fret, which is E♭.

Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
Strum with the pad of your index finger or thumb, all four strings, across the spot where the neck meets the body.

Other ways to play B♭sus4

8-5-6-6: movable shape at the 5th fret, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.
8-10-11-8: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. A high voicing for when the low version is taken by another instrument.

Capo shortcuts for B♭sus4

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 3rd fret and play the open Gsus4 shape (0-2-3-3). The chord sounds as B♭sus4 because the capo raises every string by 3 half steps.

Moving between B♭sus4 and its neighbours

The chords B♭sus4 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

B♭ (resolves down to the third): B♭sus4 (3-3-1-1) to B♭ (3-2-1-1): your index and middle fingers stay put, your ring finger lands on the C string, 2nd fret, the pinky finger slides across to the G string at the same fret. Listen for B♭ and F, which stay put while the rest moves. B♭ on ukulele
E♭ (IV in B♭ major): B♭sus4 (3-3-1-1) to E♭ (0-3-3-1): the index finger slides across to the A string at the same fret, the middle finger goes to the C string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share B♭ and E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth. E♭ on ukulele
F (V in B♭ major): B♭sus4 (3-3-1-1) to F (2-0-1-0): your index finger stays put, the middle finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret. Very little moves, so this change comes fast. F carries over from one chord to the other. F on ukulele

B♭sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. All 3 notes of B♭sus4 fit on the ukulele's four strings, with one of them doubled. 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.

Getting B♭sus4 under your fingers

Before strumming, play 3-3-1-1 note by note: B♭ then E♭ then F then B♭. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Then switch to 8-5-6-6 and back four times without looking at your hand.

A♯sus4 is another spelling of B♭sus4. Same shape, same sound.

Keys and progressions with B♭sus4

B♭sus4 on guitar and piano

B♭sus4 on guitar and piano uses the same 3 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Close to B♭sus4

Other suspended fourth chords

B♭sus4 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in B♭sus4 on ukulele?

B♭, E♭ and F. In the 3-3-1-1 shape the strings play B♭ (G string), E♭ (C string), F (E string) and B♭ (A string), so B♭ is doubled.

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

No open-string B♭sus4 exists in standard tuning; 3-3-1-1 is the place to start. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is B♭sus4 a barre chord on ukulele?

Not usually: 3-3-1-1 needs no barre.

Which string does B♭sus4 start on?

In the 3-3-1-1 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 3rd fret, which is B♭, the root.

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