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The Bsus4 chord on guitar, from the open shape to the barre

Bsus4 is B with the third replaced by E. That E hangs one step above where the ear expects D#, so the chord sounds suspended, waiting, and the payoff comes when it drops back to B major. The standard shape is a barre, but there is a version with two open strings that needs only three fingers. Start there, then learn the barre, because the barre is where the Bsus4 to B move really lives.

Bsus4 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: B suspended fourth
  • Symbol: Bsus4
  • Notes: B, E, F#

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Shape Frets, low E to high E Notes, low to high What it is for
Bsus4, open strings x24400 B F# B B E No barre: three fingers, and the open B and E strings ring on top. A big, open sound.
Bsus4, four strings x2445x B F# B E The barre shape without the high E. Root on the A string, E on the B string, nothing to flatten.
Bsus4, barre x24452 B F# B E F# The standard Bsus4: Asus4 moved up two frets, with the first finger as the nut.
Bsus4, seventh fret 799977 B F# B E F# B The Esus4 shape barred at the seventh fret. Six strings, B in the bass.
Bsus4, open strings x 2 4 4 0 0 · 1 3 4 · · fingers
Bsus4, four strings x 2 4 4 5 x · 1 2 3 4 · fingers
Bsus4, barre x 2 4 4 5 2 · 1 2 3 4 1 fingers
Bsus4, seventh fret 7 9 9 9 7 7 1 2 3 4 1 1 fingers

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

Bsus4 on the neck: every B, E, F#

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Bsus4: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Bsus4.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
2 - B
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
3 - G
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
4 - D
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
5 - A
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
6 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E

How to play Bsus4 step by step

1. With open strings: x24400

First finger on the A string at fret 2 (B). Third finger on the D string at fret 4 (F#), fourth finger on the G string at fret 4 (B). Leave the B and high E strings open: they give you B and E. Strum from the A string. The open E on top is the suspended fourth.

2. Four strings: x2445x

First finger on the A string at fret 2, second finger on the D string at fret 4, third finger on the G string at fret 4, fourth finger on the B string at fret 5. That fret 5 note is E. Mute the high E with the underside of the fourth finger.

3. The barre: x24452

Keep the same fingers and let the first finger lie flat across the second fret, down to the high E. It now presses F# on the first string too. Keep the low E silent.

x24452 is the open Asus4, x02230, moved up two frets with the first finger as the nut. If you know Asus4, the fingering is the same.

Bsus4 to B: the move that matters

A sus4 chord is half a gesture; the other half is the resolution. From x24452 to B major, x24442, only the B string changes: the fourth finger moves from fret 5 to fret 4, and E falls to D#. Practice it until the move is in the fingers.

Change Shapes What to listen for
B, Bsus4, B x24442, x24452, x24442 The B string goes D#, E, D#. Play it on beats 1, 3 and the next 1.
Bsus2, B, Bsus4, B x24422, x24442, x24452, x24442 The B string walks C#, D#, E, D#. Bsus2 below, Bsus4 above.
B, Bsus4, E, F# x24442, x24452, 022100, 244322 I, I with a sus4, IV, V in B. The sus4 keeps the first bar moving.
E, Bsus4, B, A 022100, x24452, x24442, x02220 In E, the sus4 delays the V chord by half a bar.

Bsus4 next to B, Bm and Bsus2

Chord Notes Barre shape Sound
B B, D#, F# x24442 Major, settled
Bm B, D, F# x24432 Minor, settled
Bsus2 B, C#, F# x24422 Open, calm
Bsus4 B, E, F# x24452 Tense, wants to resolve

Same barre, same three fingers on frets 2 and 4; only the B string changes. Play the four in a row and you will hear the third, or its replacement, carry the whole character of the chord.

Where Bsus4 shows up

To hear it, Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely turns on a loop of C#m7, F#7, B7 and E, and Bsus4 is part of its chord set. A common variation replaces the B7 with Bsus4 then B: after F#7, the suspension hangs for a moment and releases into B before E. Since the loop itself uses B7, it is a good place to hear both faces of a B chord.

The sus4 idea is the same on every chord. In open position it is easiest on Dsus4 and Esus4; Bsus4 at the seventh fret, 799977, is literally the Esus4 shape barred.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Bsus4 on guitar?
The standard shape is x24452: first finger across the second fret from the A string down, second finger on the D string at fret 4, third finger on the G string at fret 4, fourth finger on the B string at fret 5. Do not play the low E. Without a barre, play x24400 and let the top two strings ring open.
What notes are in a Bsus4 chord?
Three: B, E and F#. B is the root, E the fourth and F# the fifth. The E replaces the third, so the chord has neither D# nor D.
Where does Bsus4 go?
Almost always to B. The E wants to fall a half step to D#, the third of B major. Bsus4 to B is a tiny move, one finger lifting off the B string, and it is one of the most satisfying resolutions on the guitar.
What is the difference between Bsus4 and Bsus2?
Both drop the third. Bsus4 puts E in its place, a step above the third, and sounds tense, waiting to resolve. Bsus2 puts C# in its place, below the third, and sounds open and calm.
Is x24400 a real Bsus4?
Yes. A2 gives B, D4 gives F#, G4 gives B, the open B string doubles B and the open high E gives E. That is B, E and F#, with nothing else, so it is a complete Bsus4 that just sounds wider than the barre.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.