Bsus4

Bsus4 is B, E and F#, a suspended fourth. The shape this page opens on is written x24452, lowest string first.

Also written Bsus or B suspended 4th. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for Bsus4 on the guitar, and 49 derived voicings in 2 families.

In which keys. Every note of Bsus4 belongs to C# minor (the ♭VII), D major (the vi), E major (the V), E minor (the v), F# minor (the iv), G major (the iii), Ab minor (the ♭III), A major (the ii), B major (the I) and B minor (the i).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x24452, 7x4457, xx4457, 799977, x-x-9-11-12-12, x-14-14-11-12-x.

Triad. Three notes across one string set. Bsus4 has 024xxx, 222xxx, 0244xx, 2224xx, xx445x, xx997x, xxx977, xx9977.

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. Bsus4 has xx4400, 0x440x.

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