B♭7sus4
Character: floating tension
- B♭Rtriad
- E♭4triad
- F5triad
- A♭♭7add
14 ways to play B♭7sus4
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
Frets 1 1 1 1 x xNotes F B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 5 1 4 ♭7
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x x 3 4 4Notes B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 1 4 ♭7
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x x 3 3 4 4Notes F B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 5 1 4 ♭7
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 6 3 4 xNotes A♭ B♭ E♭Intervals ♭7 1 4
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x 1 3 1 4 xNotes B♭ F A♭ E♭Intervals 1 5 ♭7 4
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
Frets 4 6 3 3 x xNotes A♭ E♭ F B♭Intervals ♭7 4 5 1
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 6 6 6 x x xNotes B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 1 4 ♭7
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets 6 6 8 8 9 6Notes E♭ A♭ B♭Intervals 4 ♭7 1
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x x 6 8 6 6Notes A♭ E♭ F B♭Intervals ♭7 4 5 1
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 8 8 9 xNotes B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 1 4 ♭7
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x 8 8 8 9 xNotes F B♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 5 1 4 ♭7
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 6 8 6 8 x xNotes B♭ F A♭ E♭Intervals 1 5 ♭7 4
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
Frets x x x 13 11 11Notes A♭ B♭ E♭Intervals ♭7 1 4
The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the 5th’s string.
Frets x x 8 10 9 11Notes B♭ F A♭ E♭Intervals 1 5 ♭7 4
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 4th takes the 3rd’s string. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
The construction rules B♭7sus4 follows
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.
A third on top makes a 7th chord
A major 7th over a major triad is maj7, a ♭7 is a dominant 7. Over minor you get m7 or m(maj7); over diminished, m7♭5 or the °7, whose 7th is lowered twice.
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.
On guitar, something has to give
Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.
The root can move down
When an extension needs the root’s string, the root can drop to the string below the triad: an anchored voicing keeps the bass and frees a string on top.
All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.
Dominant 7th suspended 4th in every key
More chords on B♭
B♭7sus4 chord questions
What notes are in B♭7sus4?
B♭7sus4 is spelled B♭ E♭ F A♭: B♭ is the root, E♭ is the 4th, F is the 5th, A♭ is the ♭7th.
What is the formula of B♭7sus4?
1 4 5 ♭7. It is a B♭ sus4 triad with the ♭7th stacked on top.
How many ways can you play B♭7sus4 on guitar?
This page shows 14 voicings of B♭7sus4, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.