A♭sus4 chord
A♭sus4 is A♭, D♭ and E♭: 1–4–5 built on A♭. See and hear it on all three instruments below.
On guitar
4-6-6-6-4-4 · barre · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · D♭ · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- 4-6-6-6-4-4
A♭sus4 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · A♭–D♭–E♭ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- A♭ · D♭ · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
A♭sus4 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-3-4-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · D♭ · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- 1-3-4-4
Changing out of A♭sus4
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- A♭sus4 → A♭ (resolves down to the third)
Guitar: A♭sus4 (4-6-6-6-4-4) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): your index finger stays put, move the middle finger to the G string, 5th fret, the ring finger slides across to the A string at the same fret, the pinky finger slides across to the D string at the same fret. The two chords share A♭ and E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: A♭sus4 to A♭: play A♭ in root position (A♭–C–E♭) and A♭ and E♭ stay under the same fingers, while D♭ moves down to C. A♭ - A♭sus4 → C♯ (IV in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭sus4 (4-6-6-6-4-4) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the ring finger slides across to the G string at the same fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for A♭ and D♭, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: A♭sus4 to C♯: play C♯ in 2nd inversion (G♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ and C♯ stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves up to E♯. C♯ - A♭sus4 → E♭ (V in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭sus4 (4-6-6-6-4-4) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): the index finger goes to the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the high E string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: A♭sus4 to E♭: play E♭ in 1st inversion (G–B♭–E♭) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while A♭ moves down to G and D♭ down to B♭. E♭
Guitar with a capo: capo 4, Esus4 shape; capo 6, Dsus4 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Gsus4 shape; capo 6, Dsus4 shape.
How A♭sus4 is built
A♭sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. The suspended note wants to fall back, so A♭sus4 usually resolves to A♭ major: play A♭sus4 then A♭ and you'll hear it settle.
Start on A♭, count 5 half steps up to D♭ then 2 half steps up to E♭. Written with flats or sharps the other way round it's G♯sus4; the sound is identical.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | root | 0 | |
| D♭ | perfect fourth | 5 | |
| E♭ | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with A♭sus4
No major or natural minor key contains A♭sus4 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
Chords close to A♭sus4
- A♭sus4 and A♭ differ by one note: D♭ in A♭sus4, C in A♭. They share A♭ and E♭. A♭
- A♭sus4 and A♭sus2 differ by one note: D♭ in A♭sus4, B♭ in A♭sus2. They share A♭ and E♭. A♭sus2
Chords that share most of their notes with A♭sus4: C♯sus2, C♯add9, C♯9, C♯, C♯m, C♯sus4.
Every A♭ chord
A♭sus4 chord: questions
What notes are in the A♭sus4 chord?
A♭, D♭ and E♭. A♭sus4 is built 1–4–5 from A♭: D♭ is the perfect fourth and E♭ is the perfect fifth.
How do you play A♭sus4 on guitar?
The usual shape is 4-6-6-6-4-4 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play A♭sus4 on piano?
Play A♭, D♭ and E♭ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play A♭sus4 on ukulele?
1-3-4-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is A♭sus4 in?
No major or natural minor key contains A♭sus4 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
What's the difference between A♭sus4 and A♭?
A♭sus4 and A♭ differ by one note: D♭ in A♭sus4, C in A♭. They share A♭ and E♭.
All three instruments are drawn and played from A♭, D♭ and E♭ by the same engine. Updated September 2026.