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Piano chord

E♭sus4E flat suspended fourth

  • E♭1
  • A♭4
  • B♭5
Notes
3
Positions
3
Span
7semitones
Fingers
1-3-5

How to play E♭sus4 on piano

  1. Find E♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
  2. Right hand: 1 on E♭, 3 on A♭, 5 on B♭.
  3. Or with the left hand: 5 on E♭, 2 on A♭, 1 on B♭.
  4. Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
  1. E♭sus4 on piano, Root position: E♭ A♭ B♭E♭, A♭, B♭E♭A♭B♭135
    E♭sus4 on piano, Root position: E♭ A♭ B♭E♭, A♭, B♭E♭A♭B♭521

    Root position · E♭ – A♭ – B♭

  2. E♭sus4 on piano, 1st inversion: A♭ B♭ E♭A♭, B♭, E♭A♭B♭E♭125
    E♭sus4 on piano, 1st inversion: A♭ B♭ E♭A♭, B♭, E♭A♭B♭E♭531

    1st inversion · A♭ – B♭ – E♭

  3. E♭sus4 on piano, 2nd inversion: B♭ E♭ A♭B♭, E♭, A♭B♭E♭A♭125
    E♭sus4 on piano, 2nd inversion: B♭ E♭ A♭B♭, E♭, A♭B♭E♭A♭521

    2nd inversion · B♭ – E♭ – A♭

Numbers on the keys are fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.

E♭sus4 inversions

Use these 3 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on E♭; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.

E♭sus4 with two hands

A full sound: the left hand plays E♭ an octave lower, the right hand plays E♭–A♭–B♭.

E♭sus4 with two handsE♭, E♭, A♭, B♭E♭E♭A♭B♭5135

E♭sus4 on other instruments

About the E♭sus4 chord

To build E flat suspended fourth, take these 3 notes from the root up: E♭ (1), A♭ (4), B♭ (5). A suspended fourth: the third is replaced by the fourth. It sounds unfinished and usually resolves to the major chord on the same root.

On the keyboard, start from E♭ and add the other notes above it: E♭ – A♭ – B♭. From the lowest to the highest key that is 7 semitones. That is less than an octave, so E♭sus4 sits comfortably under one hand.

Each inversion of E♭sus4 puts a different note in the bass. In the 1st inversion the bass is A♭ (A♭–B♭–E♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is B♭ (B♭–E♭–A♭).

Compared with E♭7sus4, E♭sus4 leaves out D♭.

Questions

What notes are in the E♭sus4 chord?

E♭sus4 (E flat suspended fourth) has 3 notes: E♭ (1), A♭ (4), B♭ (5).

How many inversions does E♭sus4 have?

E♭sus4 can be played in 3 positions: Root position (E♭–A♭–B♭); 1st inversion (A♭–B♭–E♭); 2nd inversion (B♭–E♭–A♭).

What is the difference between E♭sus4 and E♭7sus4?

Compared with E♭7sus4, E♭sus4 leaves out D♭.

Can I play E♭sus4 with one hand?

Yes. In root position E♭sus4 spans 7 semitones, less than an octave, so one hand holds it easily.

More E♭ chords