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Bb Suspended 4th (Bbsus4)

Also written as A# Suspended 4th (A# and Bb are the same key).

Download MIDI
1+4+5
E#5A#1D#3
4 4

Notes in Bb Suspended 4th

A# (root)D#E#

Inversions

Same notes as Bb Suspended 4th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

A# in the bass

E#5A#1D#3

1st inversion

D# in the bass (Bbsus4/D#)

E#2D#1A#5

2nd inversion

E# in the bass (Bbsus4/E#)

E#1A#3D#5

Bb Suspended 4th is built from A#, D# and E#.

The other suspension raises the missing third up to a perfect fourth, which sits a half step above where the third would normally be. That closeness creates real tension, and it's why a sus4 chord so often falls straight back down into the plain major or minor triad on the same root a beat later.

Related chords

BbBbsus2Bb7sus4

Difficulty: Beginner. Category: Triads. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.