E♭sus4 chord on ukulele

E♭sus4 is E♭, A♭ and B♭. The usual shape is 1-3-4-1. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

1-3-4-1 · movable · medium

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

How to play E♭sus4 on ukulele

Shape 1, 1-3-4-1, reading from the G string on the left:

Put your index finger on the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭.
Put your middle finger on the A string at the 1st fret, which is B♭.
Put your ring finger on the C string at the 3rd fret, which is E♭.
Put your pinky finger on the E string at the 4th fret, which is A♭.

This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.
A four-fret stretch: drop your wrist a little and point your thumb up the back of the neck.
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 E♭sus4

8-8-6-6: movable shape at the 6th fret, medium. Same notes, stacked differently, so it sounds a little different.

Capo shortcuts for E♭sus4

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Dsus4 shape (2-2-3-0) or capo on the 3rd fret and play the open Csus4 shape (0-0-1-3). The chord sounds as E♭sus4 because the capo raises every string by a half step.

Moving between E♭sus4 and its neighbours

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

E♭ (resolves down to the third): E♭sus4 (1-3-4-1) to E♭ (0-3-3-1): move the index finger to the A string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the C string, 3rd fret, the ring finger slides across to the E string at the same fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. E♭ and B♭ carry over from one chord to the other. E♭ on ukulele
A♭ (IV in E♭ major): E♭sus4 (1-3-4-1) to A♭ (1-3-4-3): your index and pinky fingers stay put, your middle finger lands on the C string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 3rd fret. E♭ and A♭ carry over from one chord to the other. A♭ on ukulele
B♭ (V in E♭ major): E♭sus4 (1-3-4-1) to B♭ (3-2-1-1): your middle finger stays put, move the index finger to the E string, 1st fret, the ring finger goes to the C string, 2nd fret, move the pinky finger to the G string, 3rd fret. Shared note: B♭. B♭ on ukulele

E♭sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. All 3 notes of E♭sus4 fit on the ukulele's four strings, with one of them doubled. E♭sus4 holds the fourth where the third should be; drop it a half step or whole step into E♭ or E♭m to resolve. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

A short E♭sus4 drill

Arpeggiate 1-3-4-1 from the lowest string: A♭, E♭, A♭, B♭. Then strum it and listen for the same 4 notes together. Finish by moving between 1-3-4-1 and 8-8-6-6 to learn two positions of the same chord.

Written D♯sus4, it's the same chord with the same frets.

Keys and progressions with E♭sus4

E♭sus4 on guitar and piano

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

Related E♭ chords on ukulele

Other suspended fourth chords

E♭sus4 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in E♭sus4 on ukulele?

E♭, A♭ and B♭. In the 1-3-4-1 shape the strings play A♭ (G string), E♭ (C string), A♭ (E string) and B♭ (A string), so A♭ is doubled.

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

E♭sus4 has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with 1-3-4-1. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is E♭sus4 a barre chord on ukulele?

Not usually: 1-3-4-1 needs no barre.

Which string does E♭sus4 start on?

In the 1-3-4-1 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭, the perfect fourth.

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