Ab Suspended 4th (Absus4)

Also written as G# Suspended 4th (G# and Ab are the same key).

Download MIDI
1+4+5
G#1C#3D#5
4 4

Notes in Ab Suspended 4th

G# (root)C#D#

Inversions

Same notes as Ab 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

G# in the bass

G#1C#3D#5

1st inversion

C# in the bass (Absus4/C#)

C#1D#2G#5

2nd inversion

D# in the bass (Absus4/D#)

D#1G#3C#5

Play G#, C# and D# together and you get Ab 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.