The notes of A♭sus4
A♭sus4 has three notes, A♭, D♭ and E♭: D♭ is a perfect 4th above A♭ and E♭ is a perfect 5th above A♭. That gives the formula 1 4 5, a root, a perfect fourth and a perfect fifth: the third replaced by the fourth. In keys written with sharps the same keys are called G♯sus4: G♯, C♯ and D♯.
How it sounds and where it’s used
A sus4 chord sounds suspended, waiting: the fourth leans on the third below it and wants to fall to it. It’s heard at cadences (a Vsus4 resolving to V), in hymns, and in rock and pop, where it’s often played back and forth with the major chord. You’ll meet A♭sus4 most as Isus4 in A♭ major, Isus4 in A♭ minor and IVsus4 in E♭ minor.
- Let the D♭ fall to C for A♭ major, or to C♭ for A♭ minor (on the G♯ minor page).
- Its notes are the same as D♭sus2, D♭, E♭ and A♭, in another position.
Fingering
The thumb and little finger take the outer notes. Where two notes are a fourth apart rather than a third, the finger in between is skipped, which is why the inversions change the middle finger. In root position, 1st inversion and 2nd inversion the right thumb lands on a black key: move the whole hand a little further in towards the fallboard, so the fingers on white keys stay on them.
| Position | Notes | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | A♭ D♭ E♭ | 1-4-5 | 5-2-1 |
| 1st inversion | D♭ E♭ A♭ | 1-2-5 | 5-4-1 |
| 2nd inversion | E♭ A♭ D♭ | 1-3-5 | 5-3-1 |
Fingers count from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5). Shown low to high, so the left hand starts with 5.
Inversions
The same three notes can be stacked with any of them lowest. 1st inversion puts the fourth at the bottom: D♭, E♭ and A♭, written A♭sus4/D♭. 2nd inversion puts the fifth at the bottom: E♭, A♭ and D♭, written A♭sus4/E♭. Whatever is on top, the chord is still A♭sus4: the lowest note only changes its colour. Pianists choose the position that is nearest to the chord before, so the hand moves by a step instead of jumping.
Keys with A♭sus4
A♭sus4 is built from the notes of these keys, where it is the chord on the degree shown:
- Isus4 in A♭ major
- Isus4 in A♭ minor
- IVsus4 in E♭ minor
- Vsus4 in D♭ major
- IIsus4 in G♭ major
- IIIsus4 in F minor
- VIIsus4 in B♭ minor
- Vsus4 in C♯ minor, written G♯sus4
- VIsus4 in B major, written G♯sus4
- IIIsus4 in E major, written G♯sus4
A sus chord stands in for the major or minor chord on that degree, before it resolves or instead of it.
Finding it fast
Play A♭ major and move the middle note up a half step, to D♭: the very next key. In root position its keys are all black. D♭sus4 and E♭sus4 have the same shape on the keys, so learn them together.
To read it on the page as quickly, practise the shapes with the chord reading quiz, and see how the notes are counted in intervals.