Chord · E Suspended 4th
Esus4 Chord
Esus4 is E, A and B — tense, wants to resolve to the major.
Esus4 on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Esus4 is made of
Esus4 (E suspended fourth) is built from the notes E, A, B, with the interval pattern 1, 4, 5.
Stack 1, 4 and 5 on a root of E and you get E, A and B. 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 Esus4.
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. Every tone here lands on its own letter — no accidentals needed.
Keys that contain Esus4
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 10 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
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 Esus4
- What notes are in the Esus4 chord?
- Esus4 is made of E, A and B — the 1, 4 and 5 degrees of a suspended fourth chord built on E.
- What keys use the Esus4 chord?
- Every note of Esus4 belongs to 10 keys: C Major (iii), G Major (vi), D Major (ii), A Major (V), E Major (I), A Minor (v), E Minor (i), B Minor (iv), F# Minor (VII), C# Minor (III). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Esus4 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Esus4 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 12 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Esus4 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.