Root position
F# – B – C#The root F# is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.
3 notes · 1 · 4 · 5
F# Suspended Fourth Piano Chord (F#sus4)
F#sus4 is built from F#, B and C# — the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above F#. The shape uses 1 white and 2 black keys, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.
Chord
F# Suspended fourth
Notes
F# · B · C#Formula
1 · 4 · 5Right hand
1 · 4 · 5C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).
The finder above already holds F#sus4. Press P or the Play chord button to hear F#, B, C# sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.
Chord tones
The notes in F#sus4
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.
| Note | Interval | Degree | Semitones | Right hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F#black key | Root | 1 | 0 | 1 · thumb |
| Bwhite key | Perfect fourth | 4 | 5 | 4 · ring finger |
| C#black key | Perfect fifth | 5 | 7 | 5 · little finger |
Step by step
How to play F#sus4 on piano
- Find F#: it is the first black key in a group of three.
- Build upwards from F# using 5 and 7 semitones to reach B and C#.
- With the right hand, place finger 1 on F#, finger 4 on B and finger 5 on C#. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
- Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black keys sit comfortably under your fingers.
- Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how F#sus4 settles.
- Try first inversion as well: B – C# – F#. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.
Inversions
F#sus4 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.
First inversion
B – C# – F#B is the lowest note, so the perfect fourth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
Second inversion
C# – F# – BC# 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 F#sus4
In D 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.
- D majoriiisus4
- E majoriisus4
- F♯ majorIsus4
- A majorvisus4
- B majorVsus4
- C♯ minorivsus4
- E♭ minorIIIsus4
- F♯ minorisus4
- G♯ minorVIIsus4
- B minorvsus4
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
F#sus4 against F# major
F#sus4 and F# major share F# and C#. Moving the major third A# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth B turns F# major into F#sus4.
Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes F#, C# still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.
Open F# major →Good questions
F#sus4 questions
What notes are in the F#sus4 chord?
F#sus4 contains F#, B and C#. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 4 · 5, or 5 and 7 semitones above F#.
What is the right-hand fingering for F#sus4?
A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on F#, 4 (ring finger) on B and 5 (little finger) on C#. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.
How is F#sus4 different from F# major?
F#sus4 and F# major share F# and C#. Moving the major third A# up 1 semitone to the perfect fourth B turns F# major into F#sus4.
Which keys use the F#sus4 chord?
It occurs naturally in D major (iiisus4), E major (iisus4), F♯ major (Isus4), A major (visus4), B major (Vsus4) and C♯ minor (ivsus4) among others. The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.
What are the inversions of F#sus4?
root position is F# – B – C#, first inversion is B – C# – F# and second inversion is C# – F# – B. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.
Is F#sus4 the same as the G♭ chord?
On an equal-tempered piano F# and G♭ are the same key, so the chords sound identical. Written music chooses between them according to the key signature: pages here are named after the sharp spelling of the root, and the chord tones are then spelled by the degree each one occupies, which is why a double sharp occasionally appears.