Esus4 Chord on Guitar
Esus4 E A B 2 shapes Open chord
Chord diagrams
How to play Esus4 on guitar
The Esus4 chord (Esus4) is made of E, A, B - 1 4 5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the open shape 022200, with no barre. Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
A-shape barre, fret 7 x799(10)7
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in Esus4?
The Esus4 chord has 3 different notes: E, A, B. No third: the fourth (5 half steps above E) takes its place and usually falls back to the third. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: the open chord sounds all six strings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| E | Root | 0 |
| A | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| B | Perfect 5th | 7 |
Chords that go with it
Chords in the key of E major
The seven chords built on the E major scale, with the easiest shape of each. I, IV and V are the three major chords that carry most songs in this key; vi is its relative minor.
A progression to strum
- I - V - vi - IVE - B - C♯m - A
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play Esus4 on guitar?
The open shape 022200: A string fret 2 (finger 2), D string fret 2 (finger 3), G string fret 2 (finger 4); let low E and B and high E ring open.
What notes are in the Esus4 chord?
The Esus4 chord (Esus4) is made of E, A, B. Its formula is 1 4 5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Is there a barre version of Esus4?
Yes: a-shape barre, fret 7 (x799(10)7). Barre shapes have no open strings, so you can cut the sound short with your fretting hand.
Keep playing
Strum Esus4, then build a song around it
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