E7sus4

E7sus4 is E, A, B and D, a dominant seventh suspended fourth. The shape this page opens on is written 020200, lowest string first.

Also written E7sus or E dominant 7 sus 4. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for E7sus4 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of E7sus4 belongs to C major (the iii), D major (the ii), E minor (the i), F# minor (the ♭VII), G major (the vi), A major (the V), A minor (the v) and B minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 020200, xx2435, x77755, x-7-9-7-10-7, x-x-x-9-10-10, x-x-9-9-10-10, 12-14-12-14-12-12.

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. E7sus4 has 057xxx, x777xx, 12-12-12-x-x-x, 0x02xx, x-7-x-7-10-x, 12-x-12-14-x-x, x7x23x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. E7sus4 has x2223x, xx0200, 0202xx, xx7757, 7777xx, x-x-9-9-10-10, x-x-12-14-12-12, 12-14-12-14-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. E7sus4 has 5x243x, x2x230, 0x020x, x5x455, 7x775x, x-7-x-7-10-7, x-12-x-9-12-10, 10-x-9-9-10-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. E7sus4 has x7770x, 00060x, 000202, 0x0605, x00600, 5x0600.

Tensions. A shell of E7sus4, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (F#) and the 13 (C#).

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