A7sus4

A7sus4 is A, D, E and G, a dominant seventh suspended fourth. The shape this page opens on is written x02030, lowest string first.

Also written A7sus or A dominant 7 sus 4. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for A7sus4 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of A7sus4 belongs to C major (the vi), D major (the V), D minor (the v), E minor (the iv), F major (the iii), G major (the ii), A minor (the i) and B minor (the ♭VII).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x02030, xxx233, xx2233, 575755, x-0-7-9-8-10, x-x-7-9-8-10, x-12-12-12-10-10, x-12-14-12-15-12, x-x-14-14-15-15.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. A7sus4 has x057xx, 555xxx, x-12-12-12-x-x, x0x03x, 5x57xx, 5x00xx, x-12-x-12-15-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. A7sus4 has xx2233, x0203x, xx5755, 5757xx, x7778x, x-x-12-12-10-12, 12-12-12-12-x-x, x-x-14-14-15-15.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. A7sus4 has x5x253, 3x223x, x0x030, x7x785, 5x575x, 10-x-7-9-8-x, x-10-x-9-10-10, 12-x-12-12-10-x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. A7sus4 has 555000, 57570x, 5x5700, 35220x, 000002, 000077.

Tensions. A shell of A7sus4, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (B) and the 13 (F#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.