My Chord Finder
Asus4
A2 (1) · D3 (4) · A3 (1) · D4 (4) · E4 (5)
A sus chord guitar
Asus4 is A, D and E (1, 4, 5) and Asus2 is A, B and E (1, 2, 5). A major is A, C#, E, so the third C# moves up to D or down to B.
Asus4
A2 (1) · D3 (4) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · D4 (4) · E4 (5)
Asus4
A2 (1) · D3 (4) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · D4 (4)
Asus4 is A, D, E (1, 4, 5). A major is A, C#, E: the third C# is replaced by the fourth D. On the fretboard the third moves up a half step, C# to D.
× mute · ○ open · green root · terracotta other chord tones
Numbers show a suggested finger: 1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 pinky. A bar means one finger holds several strings.
Asus4 and Asus2 side by side
The page opens on Asus4. Press Asus2 for the other suspended A, or A for the major triad; the switch rewrites the diagram, the written notes and the degrees together, and Hear plays recorded acoustic guitar.
What an A sus chord is, both ways of reading it
Read as a chord symbol, an A sus chord is A's suspended chord, and there are two of them: Asus4, where D takes the third's place, and Asus2, where B does. A major gives up the C# in both cases, and the note that replaces it is the whole story.
Read as a sentence, a sus chord is any suspended chord in any key: a suspended chord guitar charts print as Csus2, Gsus4, Esus4 and so on. Both readings are in this page, because a search box cannot tell which one you meant. The shapes below cover the letter A; the family links at the bottom cover everything else.
The other spellings people type are a sus4 chord, a sus 4 chord, a sus 4 guitar chord and a suspended chord guitar. The first three are Asus4 with the number written apart from the letters, and the last one is usually the same question about a chart that already prints the symbol correctly.
The open A suspended shapes
X 0 0 2 3 0 is the classic Asus4: the A string and D string open, the G string fretted at the second fret for A, and the B string fretted at the third fret for D. If you already play A, X 0 2 2 2 0, you only move the B string up one fret, and the D that appears is the whole difference.
X 0 2 2 3 0 keeps the D string at the second fret for E and adds the D on top, which is fuller and slightly muddier; it reads A, E, A, D, E. 5 5 2 2 3 0 moves the same notes to the fifth fret with the root A as a bass note on the sixth string, and 5 5 2 2 3 X is that shape without the top string, which leaves the D on the B string as the highest note.
The two A shapes to hold beside these are A major, which has C# on the B string, and Asus2, which leaves that B string open for B. A, Asus2 and Asus4 are then three settings of one grip, and the string that changes is always the same one.
| Shape | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes with degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Open position | X 0 0 2 3 0 | A2 (1) · D3 (4) · A3 (1) · D4 (4) · E4 (5) |
| Open strings with frets 2 to 5 | 5 5 2 2 3 0 | A2 (1) · D3 (4) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · D4 (4) · E4 (5) |
| No open strings, frets 2 to 5 | 5 5 2 2 3 X | A2 (1) · D3 (4) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · D4 (4) |
| Open position | X 0 2 2 3 0 | A2 (1) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · D4 (4) · E4 (5) |
a sus2 guitar chord and a sus2 chord
Most people who type a sus2 guitar chord or a sus2 chord want Asus2: A, B and E, with the major third left out and the second, B, in its place. On the guitar it is the A shape with the B string left open, which makes it the easiest of the three A chords to fret.
Asus2 appears in progressions that would otherwise be too settled, and it doubles as a softer A when the melody holds B or E. The two shapes in the table below are the open grip and its barre version; both hold the same three notes, and neither one is a substitute for Asus4, which uses D instead of B.
| Chord | Notes and degrees | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus2, open | A, B, E (1, 2, 5) | X 0 2 2 0 0 | A2 E3 A3 B3 E4 |
| Asus2, barre | A, B, E (1, 2, 5) | 5 2 2 2 0 0 | A2 B2 E3 A3 B3 E4 |
| Asus4, open | A, D, E (1, 4, 5) | X 0 0 2 3 0 | A2 D3 A3 D4 E4 |
Where the A suspended chords turn up
A, Asus4, A inside one bar is the same idea as the G version: the B string moves from the second fret to the third and back, and the D that appears is the fourth degree of A. Asus4 also works in front of A from the chords that lead to it in A major: D, Asus4, A and E, Asus4, A. The fourth is D, so a chord played over a bass A with D in it shares two notes with the D chord and two with the A chord.
Asus2 is used differently. Because it removes the third rather than raising it, it fits anywhere A major fits but sounds less certain: Asus2, E, F#m, D keeps the first chord open for a whole bar without leaving the key. Run A, Asus2, Asus4, A as a four-chord exercise and you have both suspensions and the major triad in one grip, which is the quickest way to hear what the third does.
Questions people ask about Asus4
Does 'a sus chord' mean the note A or any suspended chord?
Both readings are common. In a chord chart box, A sus is the note A with a suspended fourth or second. In a sentence, a sus chord means any suspended chord in any key, which is why a search for the phrase returns piano lessons and theory pages as well as guitar shapes. This page answers the letter A with shapes and the general question with links to the other roots.
What is the difference between Asus2 and Asus4?
The note that replaces the third decides it. Asus2 puts B between the root and the E, a whole step below the major third C#; Asus4 lifts that same C# a half step to D. Asus2 is the calmer of the two because B sits close to the root, while Asus4 pulls harder: D wants to move back to the major third C# or down to B.
How do you play an A suspended chord on guitar?
For Asus4, hold the familiar A shape and move the B string from the second fret to the third: X 0 2 2 3 0. For Asus2, hold the same A shape and lift the finger off the B string entirely, leaving it open: X 0 2 2 0 0. Both are one-finger changes from A, and neither one needs a barre.
Is Asus4 the same as A7sus4?
No. A7sus4 is A, D, E and G: the suspended fourth plus a flat seventh, four notes in all. Asus4 is the three-note chord on this page. A chart that prints A7sus4 wants the extra G, and the shape for it is different.
Does Asus4 belong to A major or A minor?
Neither, because the note that decides is missing. A major has C# and A minor has C; Asus4 has D instead, so it can sit over either chord without contradicting it. That is also why the same shape works in songs in A, in D and in E, where A appears as the fourth or the fifth chord.