F Suspended 4th (Fsus4)

Download MIDI
1+4+5
F1C5Bb3
4 4

Notes in F Suspended 4th

F (root)BbC

Inversions

Same notes as F 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

F in the bass

F1C5Bb3

1st inversion

Bb in the bass (Fsus4/Bb)

C2F5Bb1

2nd inversion

C in the bass (Fsus4/C)

C1F3Bb5

F Suspended 4th is built from F, Bb and C.

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.