3 notes · 1 · 4 · 5

A Suspended Fourth Piano Chord (Asus4)

Asus4 is built from A, D and E — the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above A. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

A Suspended fourth

Notes

A · D · E

Formula

1 · 4 · 5

Right hand

1 · 4 · 5

Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).

The finder above already holds Asus4. Press P or the Play chord button to hear A, D, E sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in Asus4

A suspended fourth chord replaces the third with the fourth degree. The fourth sits one semitone above the major third and leans onto it, so a sus4 is usually heard as a delay that resolves into the plain triad underneath it.

Each tone of A suspended fourth with its interval, scale degree, distance in semitones from A and a suggested right-hand finger.
Note	Interval	Degree	Semitones	Right hand
Awhite key	Root	1	0	1 · thumb
Dwhite key	Perfect fourth	4	5	4 · ring finger
Ewhite key	Perfect fifth	5	7	5 · little finger

Step by step

How to play Asus4 on piano

Find A: it is the white key between the second and third black keys of a group of three.
Build upwards from A using 5 and 7 semitones to reach D and E.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on A, finger 4 on D and finger 5 on E. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
Every note here is a white key, so you can sit your hand slightly further out from the fallboard.
Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how Asus4 settles.
Try first inversion as well: D – E – A. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

Asus4 in 3 positions

An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.

Root position

A – D – E

The root A is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.

First inversion

D – E – A

D is the lowest note, so the perfect fourth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

Second inversion

E – A – D

E is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

In context

Which keys contain Asus4

In C major the chord functions as visus4. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 10 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

C majorvisus4
D majorVsus4
F majoriiisus4
G majoriisus4
A majorIsus4
D minorvsus4
E minorivsus4
F♯ minorIIIsus4
A minorisus4
B minorVIIsus4

Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.

Compare

Asus4 against A major

Asus4 and A major share A and E. Moving the major third C# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth D turns A major into Asus4.

Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes A, E still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.

Open A major →

Good questions

Asus4 questions

What notes are in the Asus4 chord?

Asus4 contains A, D and E. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above A.

What is the right-hand fingering for Asus4?

A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on A, 4 (ring finger) on D and 5 (little finger) on E. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.

How is Asus4 different from A major?

Asus4 and A major share A and E. Moving the major third C# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth D turns A major into Asus4.

Which keys use the Asus4 chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (visus4), D major (Vsus4), F major (iiisus4), G major (iisus4), A major (Isus4) and D minor (vsus4) among others. The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of Asus4?

root position is A – D – E, first inversion is D – E – A and second inversion is E – A – D. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.