Chords
Eb Suspended 4
Eb · Ab · Bb
Suspended fourth — the third replaced by a fourth, a semitone above where it wants to land.
Also written Ebsus
Eb Suspended 4
Eb · Ab · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Eb3 · Ab3 · Bb3 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Eb Suspended 4 (Ebsus4) contains the notes Eb · Ab · Bb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of Eb Suspended 4 puts a chord tone other than Eb in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Eb Suspended 4 belongs to.
In which keys
Eb Suspended 4 is diatonic to 10 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Eb Suspended 4 fits inside these scales, each built on Eb.
- Eb Minor PentatonicEb · Gb · Ab · Bb · Db
- Eb MajorEb · F · G · Ab · Bb · C · D
- Eb MinorEb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb · Db
- Eb Melodic MinorEb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · C · D
- Eb Harmonic MinorEb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb · D
- Eb DorianEb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · C · Db
- Eb MixolydianEb · F · G · Ab · Bb · C · Db
- Eb PhrygianEb · Fb · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb · Db
Understanding the Eb Suspended 4 chord
Names and symbols
Ebsus4 is the chord symbol for Eb Suspended 4; it is also written Ebsus.
sus on its own means sus4, and 7sus means 7sus4. sus2 is sometimes written add9(no3), which names the same notes from another angle.
Eb Suspended 4 and D# Suspended 4 are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. D# Suspended 4
How it is built
On Eb it is Eb · Ab · Bb: 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 Ebsus4?
- Ebsus4 contains Eb · Ab · Bb. 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 Eb Suspended 4 chord?
- The Eb Suspended 4 chord contains the notes Eb · Ab · Bb: the root Eb 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 Eb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Eb Suspended 4 chord?
- Measured from Eb, the Eb 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.