Chord · Eb Suspended 4th
E♭sus4 Chord
E♭sus4 is Eb, Ab and Bb — tense, wants to resolve to the major.
E♭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 E♭sus4 is made of
Eb Suspended 4th (Eb suspended 4th) is built from the notes Eb, Ab, Bb, with the interval pattern 1, 4, 5. A common suspended 4th chord across many styles.
Stack 1, 4 and 5 on a root of E♭ and you get Eb, Ab and Bb. 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 E♭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 E♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain E♭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 E♭
Same root, different colour.
The same suspended fourth shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Ebsus4
- What notes are in the Ebsus4 chord?
- Ebsus4 is made of Eb, Ab and Bb — the 1, 4 and 5 degrees of a suspended fourth chord built on Eb.
- What keys use the Ebsus4 chord?
- Every note of Ebsus4 belongs to 16 keys: Eb Major (I), Ab Major (V), B Major (iii), Db Major (ii), F# Major (vi), Gb Major (vi), C# Major (ii), Cb Major (iii), C Minor (III), F Minor (VII), Bb Minor (iv), G# Minor (v), D# Minor (i), Eb Minor (i), A# Minor (iv), Ab Minor (v). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Ebsus4 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Ebsus4 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 9 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
- Is Ebsus4 the same as D#sus4?
- Yes. Ebsus4 and D#sus4 are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Ebsus4 is the spelling this site treats as canonical.
Learn the theory behind it
Why E♭sus4 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.