Esus4 Chord

How to play E sus4 on guitar — tense and suspended — it wants to fall back to the plain chord.

123
Notes
E – A – B
Frets (low → high)
0 2 2 2 0 0
Difficulty
Easy
Shape
Movable shape at fret 2

How to play Esus4, step by step

  1. 1Put your index finger on the 2nd fret of the A string (5th).
  2. 2Put your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the D string (4th).
  3. 3Put your ring finger on the 2nd fret of the G string (3rd).
  4. 4Let the low E, B and high E strings ring open.
  5. 5Strum slowly and check every string sounds cleanly; if one buzzes, press closer to the fret wire and arch your fingers so they clear the neighbouring strings.

What makes a suspended fourth chord

Tense and suspended — it wants to fall back to the plain chord.

NoteIntervalSemitones above E
Eroot0
A4th5
B5th7

Other E chords

Same root, different colour. Swapping one of these into a progression is the quickest way to change its mood without changing the key.

Every sus4 chord

The same shape moved around the neck. If you can play Esus4 you are a fret-slide away from all of these.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Esus4 chord?
Esus4 is made of E, A, B — the root, 4th, 5th of E.
Is Esus4 hard to play?
No — Esus4 sits at 0 2 2 2 0 0 and is rated easy, so it is comfortable for most beginners.

Got a chart full of chords like Esus4?

Upload a chord sheet and move every chord into a key that fits your hands and your voice — the layout stays exactly as printed. Or let the capo calculator pick the position that turns the barre chords into open ones.