Esus4 Chord on Guitar
Esus4 = E – A – B (Root, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th)
Esus4 is arguably the single most common suspended chord on the guitar, built by moving the third of open E major up one fret to a fourth — a single-finger change from the plain triad that generations of guitarists have used to create that instantly recognizable held-breath moment before resolving back to E.
E, A, and B make up the chord — root, fourth, fifth, with the third replaced entirely. As a suspension of E major it has strong forward motion, wanting to resolve down a half step (on the fretted string) back to the plain triad, and that resolution is one of the most-used harmonic gestures in rock, folk, and pop guitar writing.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Because Esus4 differs from open E major by only one finger sliding up a single fret, it's an excellent drill for building the fast, precise pinky or ring-finger movement that oscillating sus4-to-major patterns require — many well-known guitar intros are built on exactly this back-and-forth motion. Focus on keeping the other fingers and the overall hand shape completely still while only the one note moves, since unnecessary hand movement is what makes this oscillation sound sloppy at speed.
Common Progressions
- Esus4 – E (the classic suspension-to-resolution move)
- E – Esus4 – E – A (a rock rhythm pattern)
- Esus4 – E – Esus4 – E (a repeating oscillation)
- A – Esus4 – E (IV – I(sus4) – I)
FAQ
- Why is Esus4 considered guitar's most classic suspension?
- It's reachable by moving a single finger up one fret from open E major, making it one of the easiest harmonic ornaments on the instrument, which is exactly why it turns up so constantly across rock, folk, and pop guitar parts.
- What note actually moves between E major and Esus4?
- The third, fretted on the D string in open E major, slides up one fret to become the fourth — every other string and finger in the shape stays exactly where it already was.
- Why does Esus4 want to resolve to E major?
- The fourth sits a half step above the major third, creating real harmonic tension that the ear expects to settle down into that third, which is what makes the sus4-to-major move feel so satisfying and complete.
- Is Esus4 harder to play than plain E major?
- No — if anything it's the same difficulty, since it uses the identical three fingers as open E major, just with one of them shifted a single fret higher.
- How does Esus4 compare to Esus2?
- Esus4 replaces the third with a fourth rather than a second, and is generally the more commonly used of the two suspensions in mainstream guitar writing, though both serve the same basic ornamental function.
- Can Esus4 be sustained rather than resolved?
- Yes, some songs hold on the suspended chord for an extended passage rather than resolving it quickly, using its open, unresolved quality as a deliberate harmonic color rather than a fleeting ornament.
- Why do so many rock guitar intros use the Esus4-to-E move specifically?
- Because it's both easy to execute quickly and immediately recognizable to a listener's ear, it became a favorite way to open a song with a small burst of tension and release before the main riff or chord progression settles in.
Esus4 on other instruments: Esus4 on Piano, Esus4 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.