Absus4 Guitar Chord

A♭sus4 is the A flat suspended fourth chord. It has three notes: A♭, D♭ and E♭. None of those notes is an open string, so every version lives away from the nut; the standard shape is a full six string barre at the 4th fret. Sharp key charts spell the identical chord G♯sus4.

The Esus4 shape barred at the 4th fret. To resolve, slide the pinky on the G string down one fret and you are holding A♭.

How to play Absus4, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the low E to high E strings at fret 4
Middle finger: 6th fret, A string
Ring finger: 6th fret, D string
Pinky finger: 6th fret, G string
Strum all six strings.

From this grip, plain A♭ is one move away: slide the pinky on the G string back one fret and the suspension resolves.

More ways to play Absus4

There are 3 common Absus4 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.

Absus4 guitar chord diagram, easier, no barre, played xx6899 — Easier, no barre

Absus4 guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 11, played x 11 13 13 14 11 — Barre at fret 11

Getting a clean barre at fret 4

Muffled B or high E: Both depend on the barre alone. Check the index is not sagging in the middle; a slight roll toward the nut puts firmer flesh under the thin strings.
The 6th fret cluster buzzes: Three fingertips share that fret on the A, D and G strings. Stagger them in a shallow diagonal so no finger lies flat across its neighbor.
Notes cut off when you strum harder: Usually a thumb clamped too high on the neck. Drop it behind the middle of the neck so the fingers arch instead of squeeze.

What makes it an Absus4

A♭ · D♭ · E♭ 1 4 5

Sus4 means the third is suspended and the fourth stands in. A♭sus4 keeps A♭ and E♭, the root and fifth of A♭ major, and plays D♭ where the third, C, would sit. The chord commits to neither major nor minor and carries a lean: the D♭ wants to fall a half step to C, resolving the chord to A♭. A♭ is the I chord of A♭ major and the IV of E♭ major, flat keys guitarists usually meet through piano songs, capos or a tuned down guitar.

Absus4 vs Absus2

A♭sus4 stands the fourth, D♭, in for the missing third; A♭sus2 uses the second, B♭, instead. Sus4 pulls the ear toward A♭, sus2 leaves it drifting. The two barre shapes overlap almost completely on the fretboard, one finger apart, and sus4 is the one that appears in charts, usually written as plain A♭sus.

Absus4 chord questions

Are Absus4 and G#sus4 the same?

Yes, the same chord under two names. A♭ and G♯ are one pitch; which name a chart uses depends on the song's key.

How do I play Absus4 without a barre?

Use the four string shape starting at the 6th fret. One finger per string, no barre, and every note of the chord is there.

Is Absus4 major or minor?

Neither. The note that would decide, the third, has been replaced by the fourth. That is what sus means.

What does Absus4 resolve to?

A♭ major, most of the time, as the D♭ steps down to C. It can also resolve to A♭ minor, where the D♭ falls a whole step.

Why does Absus4 have no open shape?

None of its three notes, A♭, D♭ and E♭, matches an open string in standard tuning, so every voicing has to be fretted. The 4th fret barre is simply the lowest comfortable spot.