A#7sus4 Chord on Guitar
A#7sus4 = A# – D# – F – G# (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th)
A#7sus4 combines a dominant seventh with a suspended fourth, producing a lean, punchy chord that's a staple of gospel, funk, and rock rhythm playing. At the sixth-fret barre it's one of the sparser shapes in this set, since both the third and fifth are typically left out of the practical voicing.
The full chord is A#, D#, F, G# — root, fourth, fifth, flat seventh, with the third replaced entirely by the fourth. That combination gives A#7sus4 an open-yet-driving quality: it has the flat seventh's dominant pull but none of the third's major-or-minor commitment, which is exactly why it works so well as a rhythmic vamp chord in styles favoring percussive, harmonically ambiguous strumming. It commonly resolves down into plain A#7, the fourth falling to the third in a classic sus-to-dominant cadential move.
Fingerings
Barre (6th fret)
How to Practice It
Practice the A#7sus4-to-A#7 resolution as one rhythmic gesture, the same way A#sus4-to-A#/Bb major works — in real playing it's almost always a single quick motion. Because this voicing is lean, it's also good for building right-hand rhythmic patterns, since the reduced note count lets the strumming attack come through clearly.
Common Progressions
- A#7sus4 – A#7 – Eb (V7sus4 – V7 – I, a classic gospel-style resolution)
- D#7sus4 – D#7 – A#7sus4 – A#7 (pairing the same move on IV and V)
- A#7sus4 – A#7 (a tight, repeated vamp figure)
- A#7sus4 – Eb – A#7sus4 – Eb (a funk-leaning static groove)
FAQ
- What notes are in A#7sus4?
- A#, D#, F, and G# — root, fourth, fifth, and flat seventh — with the third left out entirely, which is what gives the chord its suspended, harmonically ambiguous character.
- How does A#7sus4 typically resolve?
- Most often down into plain A#7, with the suspended fourth falling a half step to the major third — a classic cadential move heard constantly in gospel and gospel-influenced rock and funk.
- Why is A#7sus4 popular in funk and gospel guitar playing?
- Its lean, third-less voicing gives it a punchy, rhythmically percussive quality that sits well in tight, groove-driven arrangements.
- Is A#7sus4 the same as A#11?
- They're closely related and often share a very similar practical voicing, but A#11 theoretically implies a fuller extended stack while 7sus4 is specifically defined by the fourth replacing the third.
- Is A#7sus4 harder to finger than plain A#7?
- No, generally about the same or slightly easier, since it's a comparably lean shape built from the same barre position.
- Does A#7sus4 ever appear without resolving to A#7?
- Yes — in funk and groove-based styles it's common to vamp on A#7sus4 for extended stretches without ever resolving it.
- Why does A#7sus4 sound different from A#sus4?
- A#7sus4 adds the flat seventh on top of the plain suspended triad, giving it a more dominant, forward-leaning character than A#sus4, which stays closer to a simple, unresolved suspension.
- Is A#7sus4 common in blues progressions?
- It appears occasionally as a color chord, though straightforward blues tends to favor plain dominant sevenths; 7sus4 shows up more in the funkier, gospel-tinged corners of blues-adjacent styles.
- Can A#7sus4 be strummed percussively for a rhythmic effect?
- Yes, and that's actually one of its most common uses — muting the strings right after the strum while keeping the chord shape gives a tight, percussive pulse that's a staple of funk rhythm guitar.
- Does the resolution from A#7sus4 to A#7 need to happen exactly on the beat?
- Not necessarily — pushing the resolution slightly ahead of or behind the beat is a common rhythmic device that adds a bit of syncopated groove to what would otherwise be a very plain cadential move.
- Is A#7sus4 more of a rhythm chord or one meant to ring out sustained?
- Overwhelmingly a rhythm chord — its punchy, percussive character is built for driving a groove forward rather than ringing out as a sustained backdrop.
- Does A#7sus4 ever show up in reggae or ska guitar parts?
- Occasionally, though those genres more often favor plain major, minor, and dominant seventh chords; 7sus4 is more at home in funk, gospel, and blues-rock rhythm playing.
- Is there a way to make A#7sus4 sound less abrupt when strummed hard?
- Rolling the strum slightly, letting the lower strings hit a hair before the higher ones, softens the attack without losing the chord's essential punch, a small technique many funk and gospel players use instinctively.
Related: how chords are built, chord finder.