Guitar chords · Suspended 4th
A♭sus4 chord on guitar (Absus4)
A♭sus4 (A♭ A chord that replaces its 3rd with a 2nd (sus2) or a 4th (sus4), so it is neither major nor minor and sounds unresolved. 4th) has three notes: A♭, D♭ and E♭, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 4 and 5.
Shapes
How to play A♭sus4
Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7.; the other numbers are the chord tones.
A♭sus4 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 4 or the A shape at fret 11. A A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major. keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., on the lowest played string, names the chord.
E shape · fret 4
A shape · fret 11
Notes and formula
What makes A♭sus4 suspended 4th
A sus4 chord replaces the 3rd with the 4th. The 4th wants to fall back to the 3rd, so a sus4 chord usually resolves to the major chord on the same The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7..
- 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
- 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
- 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.
The 4th makes A♭sus4 a A chord that replaces its 3rd with a 2nd (sus2) or a 4th (sus4), so it is neither major nor minor and sounds unresolved. 4th chord; you can leave out the 5th.
- A♭Rroot
- D♭4essential
- E♭5optional
- A♭, the root
- Other chord tones
A♭sus4 usually resolves to A♭, as the 4th falls to the 3rd.
A♭sus4 and G♯sus4 are the same chord with two names: same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step., same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.
Keys
Keys with A♭sus4
A♭sus4 belongs to ten keys: E major (IIIsus4, spelled G♯sus4), C♭ major (VIsus4), G♭ major (IIsus4), D♭ major (Vsus4), A♭ major (Isus4), C♯ minor (Vsus4, spelled G♯sus4), A♭ minor (Isus4), E♭ minor (IVsus4), B♭ minor (VIIsus4) and F minor (IIIsus4).
- IIIsus4E majorSpelled G♯sus4 in this key
- VIsus4C♭ major
- IIsus4G♭ major
- Vsus4D♭ major
- Isus4A♭ major
- Vsus4C♯ minorSpelled G♯sus4 in this key
- Isus4A♭ minor
- IVsus4E♭ minor
- VIIsus4B♭ minor
- IIIsus4F minor
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Slash chords
A♭sus4 over another bass note
A A chord with a different note in the bass, written after a slash: C/E is a C chord with E as its lowest note. The letter after the slash is the bass. keeps A♭sus4 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.
- A♭sus4/E♭
A♭sus4 with its 5th, E♭, in the bass.
Same root
Other chords on G♯ / A♭
Change one or two notes and the same The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7. gives a different colour. Compare them by ear.
- A♭ major
- G♯m minor
- A♭7 dominant 7th
- A♭maj7 major 7th
- G♯m7 minor 7th
- A♭sus2 suspended 2nd
- A♭6 major 6th
- G♯m6 minor 6th
- A♭add9 add 9
- A♭9 dominant 9th
- A♭maj9 major 9th
- G♯m9 minor 9th
- A♭13 dominant 13th
- A♭maj13 major 13th
- G♯m11 minor 11th
- G♯° diminished
- G♯m7♭5 half-diminished 7th
- G♯°7 diminished 7th
- A♭+ augmented
- A♭5 power chord
- A♭7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th
- G♯m(maj7) minor major 7th
- A♭6/9 six-nine
- G♯m(add9) minor add 9
- A♭7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th
Questions
A♭sus4, in short
- What notes are in the A♭sus4 chord?
- A♭sus4 (A♭ A chord that replaces its 3rd with a 2nd (sus2) or a 4th (sus4), so it is neither major nor minor and sounds unresolved. 4th) has three notes: A♭, D♭ and E♭, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 4 and 5.
- How do you play A♭sus4 on guitar?
- A♭sus4 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 4 or the A shape at fret 11.
- What key is A♭sus4 in?
- A♭sus4 belongs to ten keys: E major (IIIsus4, spelled G♯sus4), C♭ major (VIsus4), G♭ major (IIsus4), D♭ major (Vsus4), A♭ major (Isus4), C♯ minor (Vsus4, spelled G♯sus4), A♭ minor (Isus4), E♭ minor (IVsus4), B♭ minor (VIIsus4) and F minor (IIIsus4).
- Is A♭sus4 the same as G♯sus4?
- Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. A♭sus4 is the spelling in C♭ major, G♭ major, D♭ major, A♭ major, A♭ minor, E♭ minor, B♭ minor and F minor; G♯sus4 in E major, B major, F♯ major, C♯ major, C♯ minor, G♯ minor, D♯ minor and A♯ minor.