As a suspended tonicB major
The suspension resolves down onto the plain triad on the next beat.
Bsus4 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Bsus4 chord is a suspended fourth chord built on the root note B. Its notes are B, E and F♯.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
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.
- Notes
- B · E · F♯
- Formula
- 1 · 4 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 5 · 7
- Note
- B
- Quality
- Suspended 4
- Symbol
- Bsus4
Bsus4 on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play Bsus4 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B, middle finger on E and little finger on F♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯ is a black key and B and E are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B1
- E4
- F♯5
Bsus4 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Bsus4 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
B · E · F♯
Play Bsus4 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
Bsus4 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B | |
| 4 | Perfect fourth | 5 | E | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F♯(F#) |
How to use the Bsus4 chord
The Bsus4 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.
How Bsus4 differs from similar chords
Bsus4 puts a perfect fourth where the third of B would be, and that fourth wants to fall a half step to the major third. Where Bsus2 sits comfortably, Bsus4 sounds like a question waiting for its answer. Add a minor seventh and it becomes B7sus4, the suspended dominant.
Where Bsus4 is used
A suspended chord withholds the third, so it is a chord in waiting - it resolves onto the plain triad underneath it.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the Bsus4 chord?
- The Bsus4 chord contains B, E and F♯ (B, E and F# in plain text).
- Is the Bsus4 chord major or minor?
- Bsus4 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 Bsus4 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. On the keyboard F♯ is a black key and B and E are white.
- How do you play Bsus4 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What chords work well with Bsus4?
- Bsus4 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.