F#sus4 Piano Chord

F sharp sus4 is the F sharp suspended fourth chord. It has three notes: F sharp, B and C sharp. The outer two are black keys with a white key in the middle.

1F♯3B5C♯C4C5

F♯ at the bottom, then B and C♯. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1. The black keys are F♯ and C♯.

How to play F#sus4 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the F♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): F♯
  3. Middle finger (3): B
  4. Little finger (5): C♯
  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 F♯ on its own as a bass note.

Black, white, black is a comfortable shape. Resolving this chord means moving the B up to A sharp, which is unusual: most suspensions fall, and this one is easier to hear as a step back into the black keys.

Inversions of F#sus4

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are F#sus4; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionB C♯ F♯
F#sus4 piano chord diagram, first inversion, B C♯ F♯
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 inversionC♯ F♯ B
F#sus4 piano chord diagram, second inversion, C♯ F♯ B
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 A sharp
That is the third of F sharp major and is where this chord resolves. F sharp sus4 needs B, the white key.
The middle finger is wrong
B is the only white key in the chord. If something sounds off, check that finger first.
The hand feels twisted
Two fingers deep on black keys and one forward on white means the hand sits at an angle. Let it, rather than forcing the wrist flat.

What makes it an F#sus4

F♯ · B · C♯ 1 4 5

F sharp sus4 is F sharp, B and C sharp: the root, the fourth and the fifth.

It is the V chord of B with the third suspended. In songs in B, which guitarists reach often, this is a standard way to build tension before the home chord arrives.

F#sus4 vs F#

F sharp major is three black keys; F sharp sus4 replaces the middle one with the white key B. The suspended chord is therefore the mixed shape and the major is the all black one.

Resolving takes the hand back into the black keys, which is the opposite of how most suspensions feel on this instrument.

Questions about F#sus4

What does sus mean in F#sus4?

Suspended. The third of the chord is removed and replaced by another note. In F#sus4 the third, A sharp, is replaced by B, the fourth, which is why the chord sounds like it is waiting for something.

Which notes are in a F#sus4 chord on piano?

F sharp, B and C sharp.

What is the difference between F#sus4 and F sharpsus2?

Which note stands in for the third. F#sus4 uses the fourth and sounds tense; F sharpsus2 uses the second and sounds open. Sus4 wants to resolve, sus2 is happy where it is.

How do you resolve F#sus4?

Move B down to A sharp, which turns the chord into F sharp 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 F# chords