A7sus4 Guitar Chord
A7sus4 is the A seventh suspended fourth chord. It has four notes: A, D, E and G. It is A7 with the third swapped for the fourth, so the note that would make it sound major is held back, and the chord leans toward A7 or plain A rather than settling on its own.
The open A7 shape with the finger on the B string moved up one fret, turning C♯ into D. Learn it next to A7 so you can hear the one note change.
How to play A7sus4, step by step
- Index finger: 2nd fret, D string
- Ring finger: 3rd fret, B string
- Pinky finger: 3rd fret, high E string
- Leave the A and G strings open. Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E.
More ways to play A7sus4
There are 3 common A7sus4 shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.
Thinner and more open than the standard shape, with the fourth doubled, which makes the suspension very easy to hear.
Fuller and heavier than the open shapes, with the root at both the bottom and the top and nothing ringing open.
Songs that use the A7sus4 chord
If it buzzes or sounds muffled
- Low E rings out
- It is not in the chord. Start the strum from the open A string, or rest the tip of a spare finger against the low E to keep it quiet.
- The B or high E string buzzes
- Both are held by the ring finger and pinky at the 3rd fret, and the pinky is the weakest finger. Move both right up behind the fret and press with the fingertips, not the pads.
- The G string sounds dead
- It has to ring open, and the finger on the D string above it often leans across. Arch that finger higher so the open G has room.
What makes it an A7sus4
A · D · E · G 1 4 5 ♭7
A sus4 chord swaps its third for the fourth, and A7sus4 does that to A7. A7 is A, C♯, E and G. Replace the C♯ with D and you get A, D, E and G. Losing the third means the chord is neither major nor minor, and the D sits one half step above the C♯ it replaced, so it pulls down toward it. That is the whole job of the chord: it is a dominant seventh with the tension wound one notch tighter, waiting to drop into A7 or A. In the key of D it is the V7sus4, the chord that delays the arrival of the V before it resolves home.
A7sus4 vs A7
The two chords differ by one note. A7 has C♯, the third, which is what makes it sound bright and bluesy. A7sus4 puts D there instead, which takes the brightness away and leaves the chord sounding unfinished. In practice they are a pair rather than a choice: play A7sus4 and let the finger fall to A7, and you get the most common move in the chord's life. On the open shapes the switch is small, so it is worth learning both together.
A7sus4 chord questions
Is A7sus4 a hard chord?
No. The easiest version needs one finger, because every other note it wants is already an open string. The standard shape uses three fingers and no barre.
What is the difference between A7sus4 and Asus4?
A7sus4 has the flat seventh, G, and Asus4 does not. Asus4 is A, D and E. A7sus4 is A, D, E and G, which makes it sound less settled and more like it is going somewhere.
Is A7sus the same as A7sus4?
Yes. When a chart writes A7sus with no number it means A7sus4. Sus with no number always means the fourth.
What songs use A7sus4?
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd uses it in the main figure, and Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles plays it with a capo at the 7th fret.
Does A7sus4 have to resolve?
No, but it usually does. The D pulls toward C♯, so A7sus4 to A7 or to A is the natural move. Left alone it just sounds open and unresolved, which is sometimes the point.
Chords to learn next
Other A chords
A7sus4 guitar chord chart (x02033) from melodician.com