My Chord Finder
Bsus4
B2 (1) · F#3 (5) · B3 (1) · B3 (1) · E4 (4)
B sus4 guitar chord
Bsus4 is B, E and F# — degrees 1, 4 and 5. B major is B, D# and F#, so the third D# steps up a half step to E.
Bsus4
B2 (1) · E3 (4) · B3 (1) · E4 (4) · F#4 (5)
Bsus4
B2 (1) · F#3 (5) · B3 (1) · E4 (4) · E4 (4)
Bsus4 is B, E, F# (1, 4, 5). B major is B, D#, F#: the third D# is replaced by the fourth E. On the fretboard the third moves up a half step, D# to E.
× 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.
Bsus4 shapes and the two neighbours
The tool opens on Bsus4. Bsus2 and B are one press away: Bsus2 moves the open high E string up to the second fret and puts C# on the B string, and B brings the third D# back on the fourth fret. The fret numbers, sounding notes and degrees are rewritten for whichever button is pressed.
Bsus4 lifts the third of B up to E
B major is B, D# and F#. Bsus4 keeps the B and the F# and moves the third D# up a half step to E, so the chord holds a perfect fourth above the root instead of a major third. The sharp key signature does not make the chord harder to play: the shape itself is comfortable.
Charts print bsus4 chord or bsus4 chord guitar, and beginners type b sus guitar chord or b sus 4 guitar chord. The spacing is the only thing that changes between those four; the notes stay B, E and F#.
Bsus4 uses the two open strings that B major does not: the open B and the open high E. That is the reason the common shape X 2 4 4 0 0 can be played without a barre, while B major usually needs one.
Playing Bsus4 without a barre
X 2 4 4 0 0 puts the index finger on the second fret of the A string, the middle and ring fingers on the fourth fret of the D and G strings, and lets the open B and high E strings ring. The open strings make the shape easy to hold and the chord bright; it is the one to learn first.
The other rows trade open strings for higher fretted notes. X 2 2 4 5 2 keeps the second fret of the A string and moves the top string to the second fret for F#. X 2 4 4 5 0 moves the B string to the fifth fret and leaves the top string open. 7 7 4 4 7 0 puts every fretted note at the fourth and seventh frets and leaves the top string open, which is the version to use when the song is already up there.
The open high E string is the note that defines the chord, so if you are checking a shape you have not seen before, find that E first. A Bsus4 without the E is a B5 or a B major with a missing note, not a suspended chord.
| Shape | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes with degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Open strings with frets 2 to 4 | X 2 4 4 0 0 | B2 (1) · F#3 (5) · B3 (1) · B3 (1) · E4 (4) |
| No open strings, frets 2 to 5 | X 2 2 4 5 2 | B2 (1) · E3 (4) · B3 (1) · E4 (4) · F#4 (5) |
| Open strings with frets 2 to 5 | X 2 4 4 5 0 | B2 (1) · F#3 (5) · B3 (1) · E4 (4) · E4 (4) |
| Open strings with frets 4 to 7 | 7 7 4 4 7 0 | B2 (1) · E3 (4) · F#3 (5) · B3 (1) · F#4 (5) · E4 (4) |
B flat sus guitar chord and b flat sus2 guitar chord
Most people who type b flat sus guitar chord or b flat sus2 guitar chord are looking for the Bb shapes, not the B ones above. Bb sus4 is Bb, Eb and F, and b flat sus2 is Bb, C and F: the same two qualities one semitone below B.
The shapes are the A sus4 and A sus2 shapes moved up one fret, which is why the frets in the table start at the first fret. This site names that root A# in its note lists, since it spells pitch classes with sharps only, so the diagrams elsewhere on the site write A# sus4 where a songbook writes Bb sus4. Both name the same two black keys and the same F.
The difference between Bb sus4 and Bsus4 is one fret: Bb sus4 is Bb, Eb, F, and Bsus4 is B, E, F#. If a chart says Bb, play the first-fret shapes; if it says B, play the shapes at the top of this page.
| Chord | Notes and degrees | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb sus4 | Bb, Eb, F (1, 4, 5) | X 1 1 3 4 1 | Bb2 Eb3 Bb3 Eb4 F4 |
| Bb sus2 | Bb, C, F (1, 2, 5) | X 1 3 3 1 1 | Bb2 F3 Bb3 C4 F4 |
| Bb sus4, higher | Bb, Eb, F (1, 4, 5) | 6 6 3 3 4 X | Bb2 Eb3 F3 Bb3 Eb4 |
Where Bsus4 turns up
Bsus4 usually appears as a suspension that resolves to B: B, Bsus4, B. B is X 2 4 4 4 2 and Bsus4 is X 2 4 4 0 0, so the B string goes from the fourth fret to open and the top string from the second fret to open. That is a large movement for one finger pair, which is why guitarists often hammer it rather than finger it twice.
The fourth above the root is the E, and E is also the fourth chord of B major, so E, Bsus4, B is a natural place for the suspension: the E chord hands its root over to the suspended B and the phrase lands on B. F#, Bsus4, B does the same from the fifth chord, and A, Bsus4, B works too, because the A chord shares its E with the suspension.
Questions people ask about Bsus4
Is Bsus4 the same as B?
One note apart. The plain B chord carries the third D#, and Bsus4 raises that same note to E while the root and the fifth stay where they are. Nothing in Bsus4 is major or minor, while the plain B is major from bottom to top.
How do you play Bsus4 without a barre?
Use X 2 4 4 0 0: index on the second fret of the A string, middle on the fourth fret of the D string, ring on the fourth fret of the G string, and the open B and high E strings left to ring. No finger crosses more than one string, so the shape stays open even though the chord looks like a barre chord on paper.
Where is the b flat sus guitar chord on this page?
In the section above, with Bb sus4 and Bb sus2 written out: Bb, Eb and F, and Bb, C and F. Those are the A sus4 and A sus2 shapes moved up one fret, so the tables start at fret 1. Bsus4, which is what the rest of this page is about, is the same shape one fret above Bb sus4: B, E and F# instead of Bb, Eb and F. Neither chord carries a third, which is what suspended means.
Why does Bsus4 sound unfinished?
Because the fourth E wants to come down to the third D#. That pull is the whole point of a sus chord and it is very strong in B, where the E is also the root of the fourth chord of the key. Hold it for a whole bar if you want the tension; move to B if you want the cadence.
What happens to these shapes under a capo?
They change. The open high E string is in three of the four rows and the open B string only in the first, and a capo moves both. With a capo on, you would have to refinger the chord or play the closed shapes, and the open strings that make Bsus4 easy would be gone.