Bbsus4 Guitar Chord

B♭sus4 is the B flat suspended fourth chord. It has three notes: B♭, E♭ and F. The standard shape is a five string barre at the 1st fret, right where barres are toughest, so this page also gives you a four string version with no barre at all. You may also see the same chord written as A♯sus4.

The Asus4 barre shape at the 1st fret: index across five strings, three fingers stacked above it.

How to play Bbsus4, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the A to high E strings at fret 1
Middle finger: 3rd fret, D string
Ring finger: 3rd fret, G string
Pinky finger: 4th fret, B string
Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E.

To fall onto plain B♭ from here, the pinky note on the B string moves back one fret, from E♭ to D. Everything else stays put.

More ways to play Bbsus4

There are 3 common Bbsus4 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.

Bbsus4 guitar chord diagram, easier, no barre, played x x 8 10 11 11 — Easier, no barre

Bbsus4 guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 6, played 688866 — Barre at fret 6

Why it buzzes at fret 1

The barre feels impossible: Fret 1 sits right against the nut, where the strings are stiffest. Roll the index toward its edge, bring the elbow in to your body, and squeeze less than you think; leverage matters more than force.
High E disappears: The pinky at the 4th fret of the B string tends to hang over the high E. Curl it upright so the barre note underneath can ring.
D and G strings buzz at the 3rd fret: Middle and ring share that fret. Place them as a pair, tips just behind the wire, and check each string alone before strumming the chord.

What makes it a Bbsus4

B♭ · E♭ · F 1 4 5

Sus4 chords remove the third and put the fourth in its place. B♭sus4 keeps B♭ and F, the root and fifth of B♭ major, and plays E♭ where the third, D, would be. The chord ends up neither major nor minor, only suspended: the E♭ leans down a half step onto D and resolves the chord to B♭. Since B♭ is the I chord of B♭ major and the IV chord of F major, that is where this suspension does most of its work.

Bbsus4 vs Bbsus2

B♭sus4 fills the missing third from above with E♭; B♭sus2 fills it from below with C. The fourth strains toward resolution, the second floats without urgency. On guitar the two barre shapes sit at the same fret and differ by one finger, so learn the sus4 first: it is the one charts usually call for, often written just B♭sus.

Bbsus4 chord questions

Are Bbsus4 and A#sus4 the same chord?

Yes, one chord with two spellings. Flat keys call it B♭sus4, sharp keys call it A♯sus4. On the fretboard nothing changes.

Is there an easy way to play Bbsus4?

The four string shape starting at the 8th fret has no barre, one finger per string. It loses the low end but keeps the whole chord.

Why is Bbsus4 hard?

Its standard shape is a barre at the 1st fret, the stiffest spot on the neck. The chord itself is only three different notes; the position is the challenge.

What is the difference between Bbsus4 and Bbsus2?

B♭sus4 uses E♭, above the missing third; B♭sus2 uses C, below it. Sus4 is tense and wants to resolve, sus2 is calmer.

What does Bbsus4 resolve to?

B♭, with the E♭ stepping down to D. It works just as well into B♭ minor, where the E♭ falls to D♭.