Chords
Bb Suspended 4
Bb · Eb · F
Suspended fourth — the third replaced by a fourth, a semitone above where it wants to land.
Also written Bbsus
Bb Suspended 4
Bb · Eb · F
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Bb3 · Eb4 · F4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Bb Suspended 4 (Bbsus4) contains the notes Bb · Eb · F, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of Bb Suspended 4 puts a chord tone other than Bb in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Bb Suspended 4 belongs to.
In which keys
Bb Suspended 4 is diatonic to 10 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Bb Suspended 4 fits inside these scales, each built on Bb.
- Bb Minor PentatonicBb · Db · Eb · F · Ab
- Bb Minor BluesBb · Db · Eb · Fb · F · Ab
- Bb MajorBb · C · D · Eb · F · G · A
- Bb MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb Melodic MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · G · A
- Bb Harmonic MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · A
- Bb DorianBb · C · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb MixolydianBb · C · D · Eb · F · G · Ab
Understanding the Bb Suspended 4 chord
Names and symbols
Bbsus4 is the chord symbol for Bb Suspended 4; it is also written Bbsus.
sus on its own means sus4, and 7sus means 7sus4. sus2 is sometimes written add9(no3), which names the same notes from another angle.
Bb Suspended 4 and A# Suspended 4 are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. A# Suspended 4
How it is built
On Bb it is Bb · Eb · F: 1P · 4P · 5P. The fourth sits one semitone above the major third it displaced, which is why the ear hears it as leaning rather than resting.
How it is used
The classic gesture is sus4 resolving to the plain triad — the fourth falling to the third. It is the sound of a cadence being delayed, and it works equally well in a hymn, in The Who, and in a worship band.
On a dominant chord the same substitution gives 7sus4, which softens the dominant's pull without removing it.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Bbsus4?
- Bbsus4 contains Bb · Eb · F. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- Does a sus4 chord have to resolve?
- Classically yes, with the fourth falling to the third. In pop and rock it often stays unresolved as a colour in its own right.
- Is a sus4 chord major or minor?
- Neither. Replacing the third removes the chord's quality entirely.
- What notes are in the Bb Suspended 4 chord?
- The Bb Suspended 4 chord contains the notes Bb · Eb · F: the root Bb with the intervals 1P, 4P, 5P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Bb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Bb Suspended 4 chord?
- Measured from Bb, the Bb Suspended 4 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 4P, 5P. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.