D# Suspended 4th (D#sus4)

Also written as Eb Suspended 4th (Eb and D# are the same key).

1+4+5
D#G#A#
4 4
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Notes in D# Suspended 4th

D# (root)G#A#

Inversions

Same notes as D# 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

D# in the bass

D#G#A#

1st inversion

G# in the bass

G#A#D#

2nd inversion

A# in the bass

A#D#G#

The notes D#, G# and A# make up D# 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 key on the diagram above to hear that single note.