E Suspended 4th (Esus4)

1+4+5
EAB
4 4
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Notes in E Suspended 4th

E (root)AB

Inversions

Same notes as E 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

E in the bass

EAB

1st inversion

A in the bass

ABE

2nd inversion

B in the bass

BEA

Play E, A and B together and you get E 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.