Chord · Ab Suspended 4th
A♭sus4 Chord
A♭sus4 is Ab, Db and Eb — tense, wants to resolve to the major.
A♭sus4 on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What A♭sus4 is made of
Ab Suspended 4th (Ab suspended 4th) is built from the notes Ab, Db, Eb, with the interval pattern 1, 4, 5. A common suspended 4th chord across many styles.
Stack 1, 4 and 5 on a root of A♭ and you get Ab, Db and Eb. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a suspended fourth chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Csus4 sounds like a transposed A♭sus4.
Suspended 4th: Tense, wants to resolve to the major.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with A♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain A♭sus4
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 16 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Major keys
Other chords on A♭
Same root, different colour.
The same suspended fourth shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Absus4
- What notes are in the Absus4 chord?
- Absus4 is made of Ab, Db and Eb — the 1, 4 and 5 degrees of a suspended fourth chord built on Ab.
- What keys use the Absus4 chord?
- Every note of Absus4 belongs to 16 keys: Ab Major (I), E Major (iii), B Major (vi), Db Major (V), F# Major (ii), Gb Major (ii), C# Major (V), Cb Major (vi), C# Minor (v), F Minor (III), Bb Minor (VII), G# Minor (i), D# Minor (iv), Eb Minor (iv), A# Minor (VII), Ab Minor (i). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Absus4 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Absus4 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
- Is Absus4 the same as G#sus4?
- Yes. Absus4 and G#sus4 are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Absus4 is the spelling this site treats as canonical.
Learn the theory behind it
Why A♭sus4 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.