Asus4 Piano Chord

Asus4 is the A suspended fourth chord. It has three notes: A, D and E. All three are white keys, where A major needs a black one.

1A3D5EC3C4

A at the bottom, then D and E. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1. Every key here is white.

How to play Asus4 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.

Resolving this chord means moving the D down to C sharp, from a white key to the black key below it. Practising that step teaches both the sound and the hand movement.

Inversions of Asus4

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are Asus4; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionD E A
Asus4 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
Asus4 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

You have played C sharp
That belongs to A major. Asus4 replaces it with D, a white key.
The top two notes clash
D and E are adjacent keys. That tension is what makes it a suspension.
The middle finger is stretched
A to D is a fourth. Open the hand from the knuckles rather than stretching the fingers.

What makes it an Asus4

A · D · E 1 4 5

Asus4 is A, D and E: the root, the fourth and the fifth.

It is the V chord of D with its third suspended, and it appears constantly in rock, where the move from Asus4 to A is a standard rhythm guitar figure.

Asus4 vs A

A major has C sharp; Asus4 has D. The suspension resolves when that D steps down onto the black key.

Because one note is white and the other black, the resolution is easy to feel as well as hear.

Questions about Asus4

What does sus mean in Asus4?

Suspended. The third of the chord is removed and replaced by another note. In Asus4 the third, C sharp, is replaced by D, the fourth, which is why the chord sounds like it is waiting for something.

Which notes are in a Asus4 chord on piano?

A, D and E.

What is the difference between Asus4 and Asus2?

Which note stands in for the third. Asus4 uses the fourth and sounds tense; Asus2 uses the second and sounds open. Sus4 wants to resolve, sus2 is happy where it is.

How do you resolve Asus4?

Move D down to C sharp, which turns the chord into A 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 A chords