Chords › A♭ sus4
A Flat sus4 Chord on Guitar
- A♭sus4
- A♭ · D♭ · E♭
- Barre at fret 4
- Also written G♯sus4
E-shape barre
A flat sus4, written A♭sus4, is a suspended chord: the fourth replaces the third, so it sounds unresolved until the third comes back. A♭sus4 has no open shape, so it is usually played as an E-shape barre chord at the 4th fret.
How to play A♭sus4, finger by finger
- Lay your index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at the 4th fret.
- Put your middle finger on string 5 at the 6th fret.
- Put your ring finger on string 4 at the 6th fret.
- Put your pinky finger on string 3 at the 6th fret.
- Strum all six strings.
More ways to play A♭sus4
Notes in A♭ sus4
| Note | Interval | Role |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | 1 | root |
| D♭ | 4 | fourth |
| E♭ | 5 | fifth |
Formula: 1 – 4 – 5
Questions about A♭sus4
What notes are in A♭sus4?
A♭, D♭ and E♭. Those are the 1, 4, 5 of the chord, counted from A♭.
Which strings do I strum for A♭sus4?
All six strings.
Is A♭sus4 the same as G♯sus4?
Yes, on guitar they are played the same way and sound the same. A flat and G sharp are two names for one note: songs in sharp keys write G♯, songs in flat keys write A♭.
What chord does A♭sus4 lead to?
Most often A♭. The fourth wants to move to the third, which turns A♭sus4 into A♭.
Related chords
Often played with A♭sus4
Other sus4 chords