B Suspended 4th (Bsus4)

Download MIDI
1+4+5
B1E3F#5
4 4

Notes in B Suspended 4th

B (root)EF#

Inversions

Same notes as B 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

B in the bass

B1E3F#5

1st inversion

E in the bass (Bsus4/E)

E1B5F#2

2nd inversion

F# in the bass (Bsus4/F#)

B3E5F#1

The notes B, E and F# make up B Suspended 4th.

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.

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.