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A♭sus4

Character: hanging

  1. A♭Rtriad
  2. D♭4triad
  3. E♭5triad
Open A♭sus4 in the chord libraryDownload the A♭sus4 chart (PDF)
Voicings

11 ways to play A♭sus4

Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.

  • Triad note
  • Substitute
  • Added
  • Anchored root
  • Bass
  • Doubling
CC shape 1st inversion A♭sus4/D♭
8 9 10 11 3 R 5 4 4 R

Frets x 11 11 8 9 9Notes D♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 4 5 1

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

CC shape Root position A♭sus4
8 9 10 11 3 5 4 R 4 R

Frets x 11 11 8 9 9Notes A♭ D♭ E♭Intervals 1 4 5

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

CC shape 2nd inversion A♭sus4/E♭
8 9 10 11 3 4 R 5

Frets 11 11 11 x x xNotes E♭ A♭ D♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

AA shape 2nd inversion A♭sus4/E♭
1 2 3 4 3 4 R 5

Frets x x 1 1 2 xNotes E♭ A♭ D♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

GG shape 1st inversion A♭sus4/D♭
1 2 3 4 3 R 5 4 R 4 R

Frets 4 4 1 1 2 4Notes D♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 4 5 1

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

GG shape Root position A♭sus4
1 2 3 4 3 5 4 R R 4 R

Frets 4 4 1 1 2 4Notes A♭ D♭ E♭Intervals 1 4 5

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

EE shape 1st inversion A♭sus4/D♭
4 5 6 7 3 R 5 4 R 4 R

Frets 4 4 6 6 4 4Notes D♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 4 5 1

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

EE shape Root position A♭sus4
4 5 6 7 3 5 4 R R 4 R

Frets 4 4 6 6 4 4Notes A♭ D♭ E♭Intervals 1 4 5

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

EE shape 2nd inversion A♭sus4/E♭
4 5 6 7 3 4 R 5

Frets x 6 6 6 x xNotes E♭ A♭ D♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

EE shape 1st inversion A♭sus4/D♭
4 5 6 7 8 9 3 R 5 4 4 R 4

Frets 9 6 6 6 9 9Notes D♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 4 5 1

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

DD shape 2nd inversion A♭sus4/E♭
6 7 8 9 3 4 R 5

Frets x x x 8 9 9Notes E♭ A♭ D♭Intervals 5 1 4

The 4th takes the 3rd’s string.

The rules

The construction rules A♭sus4 follows

  1. Start from a triad

    Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.

  2. Sus chords replace the 3rd

    A 2nd or a 4th takes the 3rd’s place, so the chord is neither major nor minor and wants to resolve. 7sus4 keeps the ♭7 for a dominant without its 3rd.

All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.

Suspended 4th in every key

More chords on A♭

A♭sus4 chord questions

What notes are in A♭sus4?

A♭sus4 is spelled A♭ D♭ E♭: A♭ is the root, D♭ is the 4th, E♭ is the 5th.

What is the formula of A♭sus4?

1 4 5. It is a A♭ sus4 triad.

How many ways can you play A♭sus4 on guitar?

This page shows 11 voicings of A♭sus4, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.