3 notes · 1 · 4 · 5

E Suspended Fourth Piano Chord (Esus4)

Esus4 is built from E, A and B — the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above E. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

E Suspended fourth

Notes

E · A · B

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 Esus4. Press P or the Play chord button to hear E, A, B sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in Esus4

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

Step by step

How to play Esus4 on piano

Find E: it is the white key immediately right of a group of two black keys.
Build upwards from E using 5 and 7 semitones to reach A and B.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on E, finger 4 on A and finger 5 on B. 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 Esus4 settles.
Try first inversion as well: A – B – E. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

Esus4 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

E – A – B

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

First inversion

A – B – E

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

Second inversion

B – E – A

B 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 Esus4

In C major the chord functions as iiisus4. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 10 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

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

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

Esus4 against E major

Esus4 and E major share E and B. Moving the major third G# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth A turns E major into Esus4.

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

Open E major →

Good questions

Esus4 questions

What notes are in the Esus4 chord?

Esus4 contains E, A and B. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above E.

What is the right-hand fingering for Esus4?

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

How is Esus4 different from E major?

Esus4 and E major share E and B. Moving the major third G# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth A turns E major into Esus4.

Which keys use the Esus4 chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (iiisus4), D major (iisus4), E major (Isus4), G major (visus4), A major (Vsus4) and C♯ minor (IIIsus4) among others. The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of Esus4?

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