A#sus4 Chord on Guitar
A#sus4 = A# – D# – F (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th)
A#sus4 swaps the third of the sixth-fret major barre for the fourth degree, and unlike its sus2 sibling, this one genuinely wants to move — the fourth actively pulls down toward the third a half step below it, making A#sus4 one of the more instantly recognizable 'unfinished' guitar sounds.
A#, D#, F form the chord: root, fourth, fifth, with the third absent. The fourth is dissonant against the fifth in a way the second simply isn't, which is why sus4 chords read as more urgently unresolved than sus2 chords — the ear anticipates the fourth resolving almost automatically. That makes A#sus4 a natural pickup right before plain A#/Bb major lands, a familiar move across folk, pop, and rock strumming patterns that use the suspension to create a small rhythmic hesitation before resolving.
Fingerings
Barre (6th fret)
How to Practice It
Drill the sus4-to-major move (A#sus4 falling into A# major) as one rhythmic gesture rather than two separate chord changes, since that's how it's almost always performed in real playing. Compare the pull of this chord against A#sus2 to notice how much stronger and more urgent sus4's resolution feels by ear.
Common Progressions
- A#sus4 – A# (the classic suspension-and-release)
- A# – A#sus4 – A# – Eb (I – Isus4 – I – IV)
- D#sus4 – D# – A#sus4 – A# (IV suspension paired with V suspension)
- F – A#sus4 – A# (V – Isus4 – I)
FAQ
- What's the main difference between A#sus4 and A#sus2?
- A#sus4 replaces the third with the note above it, which sits a half step from the fifth and pulls strongly toward resolution, while A#sus2 replaces the third with the note below it and sounds open rather than urgent.
- Why does A#sus4 almost always resolve to A# major?
- The suspended fourth is genuinely dissonant against the surrounding notes, and the ear expects it to fall a half step into the third that A# major restores, which is exactly why the resolution feels satisfying.
- Is A#sus4 common in strumming patterns?
- Very — quickly alternating between A#sus4 and A#/Bb major within a single strum is a common embellishment across folk and pop guitar playing, adding rhythmic and harmonic interest without changing the underlying chord.
- Does A#sus4 ever stay unresolved?
- Occasionally, in more ambient or modern guitar writing, a sus4 chord is left hanging deliberately as a color rather than resolved, though the far more common use is a brief, quickly-resolved suspension.
- Is the A#sus4 fingering harder than plain A#/Bb major?
- No — it uses the same sixth-fret barre position with one note shifted rather than added, typically just as easy or slightly easier than the full major barre.
- How does A#sus4 relate to an Eb/A# slash chord?
- They're unrelated in construction — A#sus4 is built entirely from A#'s own scale degrees with the third replaced, whereas a slash chord layers a full triad over a different bass note, producing a more complex sound even where some pitches overlap.
- Why is the sus4-to-major move considered such a common guitar device?
- It's cheap to execute physically, often just a single finger shifting one fret, while producing a clearly audible tension-and-release, which is exactly the kind of low-effort, high-payoff gesture that recurs constantly across guitar-based songwriting.
- Is there a lower A-shape version of A#sus4?
- Yes, at the first fret, offering the same suspended color with a gentler stretch than the sixth-fret barre.
- Why does sus4 feel more 'urgent' than add9 even though both add a note to the triad?
- Add9 layers a consonant extra tone onto a complete triad, while sus4 actually removes the third and replaces it with a genuinely dissonant interval, so the difference in urgency comes from what's missing, not just what's added.
- Do rhythm sections typically hold the bass steady through a sus4-to-major move?
- Often yes — keeping the bass note fixed lets the harmonic motion of the suspension resolving happen entirely within the guitar or other chordal instruments rather than in the bass line.
- Can sus4 be combined with a seventh at the same time?
- Yes — that's exactly what 7sus4 does, layering a flat seventh onto the same third-replaced structure for an even more specific, funk-and-gospel-associated color.
- Why do some songs open on a suspended chord instead of using it only at a cadence?
- Opening on a suspended chord creates immediate unresolved tension that grabs a listener's ear right away, a deliberate songwriting choice distinct from sus4's more familiar role resolving into a cadence.
A#sus4 on other instruments: A#sus4 on Piano, A#sus4 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.