B♭sus4 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes

The B♭sus4 chord is a suspended fourth chord built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, E♭ and F. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯sus4.

Suspended fourth chords feel tense and expectant. The fourth wants to resolve down to the third, which makes sus4 a classic tool for building energy right before a major or minor chord.

Guitar shapes Piano fingering

Root

Quality

B♭sus4 on piano

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Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

To play B♭sus4 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on B♭, middle finger on E♭, and little finger on F. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.

B♭sus4 on guitar

View:

Guitar chord diagram of the B♭sus4 chord

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

On guitar, B♭sus4 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre shape: keep the index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.

Play the chord

B♭sus4

B♭ · E♭ · F

B♭sus4 chord notes

Formula: 1 · 4 · 5Notes: B♭ · E♭ · FAlso known as: A♯sus4

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	B♭(Bb)
4	Perfect fourth	5	E♭(Eb)
5	Perfect fifth	7	F

How to use the B♭sus4 chord

The B♭sus4 chord is built from a root, a perfect fourth and a perfect fifth. Start at the root B♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B♭, E♭ and F. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.

Suspended fourth chords appear in rock riffs, worship music and folk. They usually sit right before the corresponding major chord, creating a strong pull into the downbeat.

Common progressions

The B♭sus4 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Pop progression

I → V → vi → IV

B♭F Gm E♭

Classic I-IV-V

I → IV → V → I

B♭E♭F B♭

50s progression

I → vi → IV → V

B♭Gm E♭F

Once B♭sus4 feels comfortable, the chords below open up new progressions. Each one shares notes, keys or a harmonic function with it, which is what makes it the natural place to go next.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B♭sus4 chord?

The B♭sus4 chord contains B♭, E♭ and F (Bb, Eb and F in plain text).

Is the B♭sus4 chord major or minor?

B♭sus4 is a suspended fourth chord. Suspended fourth chords feel tense and expectant. The fourth wants to resolve down to the third, which makes sus4 a classic tool for building energy right before a major or minor chord.

How do you play B♭sus4 on piano?

Place your fingers on B♭, E♭ and F and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.

How do you play B♭sus4 on guitar?

B♭sus4 is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.

What is another name for the B♭sus4 chord?

B♭sus4 is enharmonically equivalent to A♯sus4. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the B♭sus4 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chords Explore scales Explore progressions Chord Transposer Chord Finder Chords in Key Try the Piano Open Circle of Fifths