A♯7sus4 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♯7sus4 chord is a dominant seventh suspended fourth chord built on the root note A♯. Its notes are A♯, D♯, E♯ and G♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as B♭7sus4.
Dominant seventh sus4 chords hold the tension of a dominant without committing to major or minor. The fourth hangs where the third would be, which is why they open so many gospel, soul and funk vamps.
- Notes
- A♯ · D♯ · E♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 5 · 7 · 10
- Note
- A♯
- Quality
- Dominant 7 sus4
- Symbol
- A♯7sus4
A♯7sus4 on piano
4 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♯7sus4 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♯, index finger on D♯, middle finger on E♯ and little finger on G♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♯, D♯ and G♯ are black keys and E♯ is white, the key you'd normally call F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♯1
- D♯4
- E♯5
- G♯♭7
A♯7sus4 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♯7sus4 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
A♯ · D♯ · E♯ · G♯
Try A♯7sus4 on the virtual piano
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A♯7sus4 chord notes
Also known as B♭7sus4
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♯(A#) | |
| 4 | Perfect fourth | 5 | D♯(D#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♯(E#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | G♯(G#) |
How to use the A♯7sus4 chord
The A♯7sus4 chord is built from a root, a perfect fourth, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root A♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A♯, D♯, E♯ and G♯. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant seventh sus4 chords act as a V chord that delays its own resolution, often falling to a plain dominant seventh a beat later. Gospel, soul, funk and seventies rock use them constantly.
How A♯7sus4 differs from similar chords
A♯7sus4 is A♯7 with the third replaced by a perfect fourth, so the tritone that makes a dominant pull is gone. Unlike A♯sus4, it keeps the minor seventh, which still points towards the next chord. That is why it so often resolves to a plain A♯7 before moving on.
Where A♯7sus4 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key A♯7sus4 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♯7sus4 chord?
- The A♯7sus4 chord contains A♯, D♯, E♯ and G♯ (A#, D#, E# and G# in plain text).
- Is the A♯7sus4 chord major or minor?
- A♯7sus4 is a dominant seventh suspended fourth chord. Dominant seventh sus4 chords hold the tension of a dominant without committing to major or minor. The fourth hangs where the third would be, which is why they open so many gospel, soul and funk vamps.
- How do you play A♯7sus4 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A♯, D♯, E♯ and G♯ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard A♯, D♯ and G♯ are black keys and E♯ is white, the key you'd normally call F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♯7sus4 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the A♯7sus4 chord?
- A♯7sus4 is enharmonically equivalent to B♭7sus4. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.