Absus4 Piano Chord

Absus4 is the A flat suspended fourth chord. It has three notes: A flat, D flat and E flat. All three are black keys.

1A♭3D♭5E♭C3C4

A♭ at the bottom, then D♭ and E♭. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1. The black keys are A♭ and D♭ and E♭.

How to play Absus4 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the A♭ below middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): A♭
  3. Middle finger (3): D♭
  4. Little finger (5): E♭
  5. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 2, 1 an octave lower, or just A♭ on its own as a bass note.

Another all black shape, and a comfortable one. Resolving it means moving the D flat down to C, which is the only white key involved anywhere in the pair.

Inversions of Absus4

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are Absus4; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionD♭ E♭ A♭
Absus4 piano chord diagram, first inversion, D♭ E♭ A♭
Lighter than root position and less final. A fourth in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionE♭ A♭ D♭
Absus4 piano chord diagram, second inversion, E♭ A♭ D♭
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.

If it sounds wrong

A finger slips to a white key
All three notes are black. Keep the hand deep in the keyboard.
You have played C
That belongs to A flat major and is where this chord resolves. Absus4 needs D flat.
The notes sound uneven
Aim each fingertip at the middle of its black key; the edges are narrow and easy to miss.

What makes it an Absus4

A♭ · D♭ · E♭ 1 4 5

Absus4 is A flat, D flat and E flat: the root, the fourth and the fifth.

It is the V chord of D flat with the third suspended, and the I chord of A flat in the same form. Soul and gospel keyboard playing leans on it heavily.

Absus4 vs Ab

A flat major has C, a white key; Absus4 has D flat, a black one. The suspended chord is the all black shape.

That makes the resolution easy to feel: one finger comes forward out of the black keys as the chord settles.

Questions about Absus4

What does sus mean in Absus4?

Suspended. The third of the chord is removed and replaced by another note. In Absus4 the third, C, is replaced by D flat, the fourth, which is why the chord sounds like it is waiting for something.

Which notes are in a Absus4 chord on piano?

A flat, D flat and E flat.

What is the difference between Absus4 and A flatsus2?

Which note stands in for the third. Absus4 uses the fourth and sounds tense; A flatsus2 uses the second and sounds open. Sus4 wants to resolve, sus2 is happy where it is.

How do you resolve Absus4?

Move D flat down to C, which turns the chord into A flat major. That single step is the whole point of a sus4, and it is one of the most used moves in gospel, rock and pop.

Chords to learn next

Other Ab chords