B♭sus4 chord
B♭sus4 is B♭, E♭ and F: 1–4–5 built on B♭. See and hear it on all three instruments below.
On guitar
x-1-3-3-4-1 · barre · hard
- Notes
- B♭ · E♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- x-1-3-3-4-1
B♭sus4 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · B♭–E♭–F · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- B♭ · E♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
B♭sus4 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-3-1-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- B♭ · E♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- First shape
- 3-3-1-1
Where B♭sus4 usually goes next
Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.
- B♭sus4 → B♭ (resolves down to the third)
Guitar: B♭sus4 (x-1-3-3-4-1) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): your index, middle and ring fingers stay put, the pinky finger goes to the B string, 3rd fret. An easy one to get up to speed. Shared notes: B♭ and F.
Piano: B♭sus4 to B♭: play B♭ in root position (B♭–D–F) and B♭ and F stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to D. B♭ - B♭sus4 → E♭ (IV in B♭ major)
Guitar: B♭sus4 (x-1-3-3-4-1) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your pinky finger stays put, move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, your ring finger lands on the high E string, 3rd fret. Listen for B♭ and E♭, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: B♭sus4 to E♭: play E♭ in 2nd inversion (B♭–E♭–G) and B♭ and E♭ stay under the same fingers, while F moves up to G. E♭ - B♭sus4 → F (V in B♭ major)
Guitar: B♭sus4 (x-1-3-3-4-1) to F (1-3-3-2-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share F, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: B♭sus4 to F: play F in 1st inversion (A–C–F) and F stays under the same finger, while B♭ moves down to A and E♭ down to C. F
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, Asus4 shape; capo 6, Esus4 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 3, Gsus4 shape.
How B♭sus4 is built
B♭sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. The suspended note wants to fall back, so B♭sus4 usually resolves to B♭ major: play B♭sus4 then B♭ and you'll hear it settle.
From B♭, go 5 half steps up to E♭ then 2 half steps up to F. A♯sus4 is the other spelling of the same chord.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | root | 0 | |
| E♭ | perfect fourth | 5 | |
| F | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with B♭sus4
No major or natural minor key contains B♭sus4 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
Chords close to B♭sus4
- B♭sus4 and B♭ differ by one note: E♭ in B♭sus4, D in B♭. They share B♭ and F. B♭
- B♭sus4 and B♭sus2 differ by one note: E♭ in B♭sus4, C in B♭sus2. They share B♭ and F. B♭sus2
Chords that share most of their notes with B♭sus4: E♭sus2, E♭add9, E♭9, E♭, E♭m, E♭sus4.
Every B♭ chord
B♭sus4 chord: questions
What notes are in the B♭sus4 chord?
B♭, E♭ and F. B♭sus4 is built 1–4–5 from B♭: E♭ is the perfect fourth and F is the perfect fifth.
How do you play B♭sus4 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-1-3-3-4-1 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play B♭sus4 on piano?
Play B♭, E♭ and F with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. B♭ sits on the last black key of the group of three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play B♭sus4 on ukulele?
3-3-1-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is B♭sus4 in?
No major or natural minor key contains B♭sus4 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
What's the difference between B♭sus4 and B♭?
B♭sus4 and B♭ differ by one note: E♭ in B♭sus4, D in B♭. They share B♭ and F.
All three instruments are drawn and played from B♭, E♭ and F by the same engine. Updated September 2026.