Piano chord
A♭ sus4 chord
A♭sus4 is a suspended chord: the root A♭, a perfect 4th up to D♭ and a perfect 5th up to E♭.
- Symbol
- A♭sus4
- Notes
- A♭ – D♭ – E♭
Play it yourself
Tap A♭, D♭ and E♭ on the keys below, in any order.
- A♭
- D♭
- E♭
Sus chords replace the third with another note, so they are neither major nor minor. A sus4 chord sounds like it is waiting, and often resolves to the major chord on the same root.
Inversions of A♭sus4
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
A♭ – D♭ – E♭
- 1st inversion · A♭sus4/D♭
D♭ – E♭ – A♭
- 2nd inversion · A♭sus4/E♭
E♭ – A♭ – D♭
Keys with A♭sus4
A♭sus4 doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.