Piano chord
A sus4 chord
Asus4 is a suspended chord: the root A, a perfect 4th up to D and a perfect 5th up to E.
- Symbol
- Asus4
- 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 Asus4
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 · Asus4/D
D – E – A
- 2nd inversion · Asus4/E
E – A – D
Keys with Asus4
Asus4 doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.