A♭sus4 chord on guitar

A♭sus4 is A♭, D♭ and E♭. The usual shape is 4-6-6-6-4-4, a barre at the 4th fret. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

How to play A♭sus4 on guitar

Shape 1, 4-6-6-6-4-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

1. Lay your index finger flat across all the strings at the 4th fret.
2. Middle finger: A string, 6th fret (E♭).
3. Ring finger: D string, 6th fret (A♭).
4. Pinky: G string, 6th fret (D♭).

• Keep the barre just behind the fret wire, not in the middle of the fret. Your thumb goes behind the neck, roughly opposite your middle finger.
• The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.

Other ways to play A♭sus4

• x-x-6-6-4-4: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.
• x-11-13-13-14-11: barre shape at the 11th fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.
• 4-4-1-1-2-x: partial barre shape, medium. Same notes, stacked differently, so it sounds a little different.

A♭sus4 the capo way

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 4th fret and play the open Esus4 shape (0-2-2-2-0-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Dsus4 shape (x-x-0-2-3-3). The chord sounds as A♭sus4 because the capo raises every string by 4 half steps.

Changing from A♭sus4 to the chords around it

Songs rarely hold A♭sus4 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

• A♭ (resolves down to the third): 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. A♭ on guitar
• C♯ (IV in A♭ major): 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. C♯ on guitar
• E♭ (V in A♭ major): 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. E♭ on guitar

A♭sus4 lifts the third up to the fourth. A♭sus4 holds the fourth where the third should be; drop it a half step or whole step into A♭ or A♭m to resolve. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

A short A♭sus4 drill

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: A♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, E♭, A♭. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to x-x-6-6-4-4 and back four times without looking at your hand.

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

Keys and progressions with A♭sus4

A♭sus4 on piano and ukulele

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

Next to try on guitar

• A♭
• A♭sus2
• A♭7
• G♯m

Other suspended fourth chords

• Csus4
• C♯sus4
• Dsus4
• E♭sus4
• Esus4
• Fsus4
• F♯sus4
• Gsus4
• Asus4
• B♭sus4
• Bsus4

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside A♭sus4. Updated September 2026. Print this chord