Absus4: guitar chord voicings, inversions, scales and arpeggios

Absus4 (Sus4) is an interactive GuitarArcanum page with chord formula, intervals, voicings, inversions, triads, pentatonic patterns, scales and arpeggios on the fretboard.

Chord formula

Interval formula: 1 4 5. A triad with a 4th in place of the 3rd. Neither major nor minor — a tense, open sound that wants to fall to the 3rd.

Chord tones

The 4th replaces the 3rd, so there's no quality. The 4th creates a suspension — a mild tension that pulls down to the 3rd.

Sound character

Open, slightly tense and neutral — the classic suspension sound in rock and pop rhythm playing.

Harmonic function

A suspension. It usually releases to a plain triad; less often it stands as a color of its own.

Typical progressions

Bbsus4 – Bb
Eb – Ebsus4 – Eb
Absus4 – Ab

Guitar voicing advice

Open Dsus4 = xx0233, Asus4 = x02230 and barre forms. The 4th sits where the 3rd would be.

Fretboard voicings for Absus4

A few curated Absus4 shapes with fret numbers, intervals and root markers.

Absus4 — G shape, frets 0–5

Absus4 — E shape, frets 3–7

Absus4 — D shape, frets 5–10

Absus4 — C shape, frets 7–12

Absus4 — A shape, frets 10–15

Compatible scales for Absus4

Open interactive scale pages that naturally pair with this chord.

Other chord qualities on the Ab root

Compare this chord with other qualities sharing the same root.