A 7sus4 (A7sus4)

Download MIDI
1+4+5+b7
A1D2E3G5
4 4

Notes in A 7sus4

A (root)DEG

Inversions

Same notes as A 7sus4, 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

A1D2E3G5

1st inversion

D in the bass (A7sus4/D)

D1E2G4A5

2nd inversion

E in the bass (A7sus4/E)

E1G2A3D5

3rd inversion

G in the bass (A7sus4/G)

G1A2D3E5

Open voicings

A close-position chord like A 7sus4 can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

E on the bottom

E3A1D2G5

Drop 3

D on the bottom

D2A1E3G5

A 7sus4 consists of A, D, E and G, played at the same time.

A dominant seventh chord with the third swapped out for a perfect fourth, combining the open sound of a sus4 with the pull of a dominant seventh. Gospel and blues piano lean on it heavily, often as a stepping stone right before the full dominant seventh resolves.

Difficulty: Intermediate. Category: Extended chords. 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.