E suspended 4th · Guitar
Esus4 Chord on Guitar
The Esus4 chord (E suspended 4th) is built from the notes E, A and B. 2 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.
Chord diagrams
Fingering
- string 6 (E): played open
- string 5 (A): fret 2 — middle finger
- string 4 (D): fret 2 — ring finger
- string 3 (G): fret 2 — little finger
- string 2 (B): played open
- string 1 (E): played open
Fingering
- string 6 (E): muted
- string 5 (A): fret 7 — index finger
- string 4 (D): fret 9 — middle finger
- string 3 (G): fret 9 — ring finger
- string 2 (B): fret 10 — little finger
- string 1 (E): fret 7 — index finger
Notes in this chord
- E
- A
- B
Degrees: 1 – 4 – 5
How to play
Esus4 has 1 open position and 1 barre shape. Start with the open voicing if you are new to it; the barre shapes exist to move the same chord further up the neck without changing the key.
Theory behind the chord
Suspended fourth chords replace the third with a fourth, so they sound unresolved on purpose. Releasing the fourth back down to the third is one of the oldest and most satisfying moves in songwriting. On Esus4 this structure sits on the root E, so the degrees 1 – 4 – 5 map onto E, A and B.
Frequently asked questions
- Which notes are in the Esus4 chord?
- Esus4 contains the notes E, A and B. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 4 – 5.
- How many ways can you play Esus4?
- Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Esus4, 1 of which is a barre shape. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
- Is the Esus4 chord hard to play?
- Not really. The open position of Esus4 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.
Practise Esus4 on your phone
Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.
