Asus4 Chord on Guitar
Asus4 = A – D – E (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th)
A suspended fourth swaps the third for the fourth degree, producing a chord that genuinely wants to move — Asus4 is one of the more instantly recognizable 'unfinished' sounds on guitar, since the fourth actively pulls back down to the third a half step below it. At the fifth-fret barre it sits right alongside plain A major, and the two are commonly played in quick alternation.
A, D, E form Asus4: root, fourth, fifth, with the third left out. That fourth is genuinely dissonant against the fifth in a way the second isn't, which is why sus4 reads as more urgently unresolved than sus2 — the ear anticipates the fourth falling to the third almost automatically. This makes Asus4 a natural pickup chord right before A major lands, a classic move heard across folk, pop, and rock strumming patterns where the suspension creates a small rhythmic hesitation before resolving.
Fingerings
Barre (5th fret)
How to Practice It
The sus4-to-major move (Asus4 resolving down to A) is worth drilling as a single rhythmic unit rather than two separate chord changes, since in real playing it's almost always performed as one quick strum-and-release gesture. Compare it against Asus2 to notice how much more strongly sus4 pulls toward resolution — that difference in urgency is the main thing separating the two suspended qualities by ear.
Common Progressions
- Asus4 – A (the classic suspension-and-release)
- A – Asus4 – A – D (I – Isus4 – I – IV)
- Dsus4 – D – Asus4 – A (IV suspension paired with V suspension)
- E – Asus4 – A (V – Isus4 – I)
FAQ
- What's the main difference between Asus4 and Asus2?
- Asus4 replaces the third with the note above it (the fourth), which sits a half step from the fifth and creates a stronger pull toward resolution, while Asus2 replaces the third with the note below it and sounds more open than urgent.
- Why does Asus4 almost always resolve to A major?
- The suspended fourth is genuinely dissonant against the surrounding notes, and the ear expects it to fall by a half step into the third, which is exactly the note A major restores — that expectation is what makes the resolution feel satisfying.
- Is Asus4 common in strumming patterns?
- Very — quickly alternating between Asus4 and A major within a single strum is one of the most common embellishments in folk and pop guitar playing, since it adds rhythmic and harmonic interest without changing the underlying chord.
- Does Asus4 ever stay unresolved?
- Occasionally, in more modern or ambient guitar writing, a sus4 chord is left hanging deliberately as a color rather than resolved, but the far more common use is as a brief, quickly-resolved suspension.
- Is the Asus4 fingering harder than plain A major?
- No — it uses the same fifth-fret barre position with one note shifted rather than added, so it's typically just as easy or slightly easier than the full A-major barre.
- How does Asus4 relate to a Dadd4 or D/A type voicing?
- They're unrelated in construction — Asus4 is built entirely from A's own scale degrees with the third replaced, whereas a slash chord like D/A layers a D triad over an A bass note, producing a different, more complex sound even though both involve the pitch D.
- Why is the sus4-to-major move considered a 'classic' guitar gesture?
- It's cheap to execute physically (often just one finger shifting a single fret) while producing a clearly audible tension-and-release, which is exactly the kind of low-effort, high-impact device that shows up constantly across decades of guitar-based songwriting.
Asus4 on other instruments: Asus4 on Piano, Asus4 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.