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The Fsus4 chord on guitar: shapes and the move back to F

Fsus4 is F with its third pushed up a half step, from A to Bb. The chord sounds suspended, held in the air, and the ear wants it to fall back to F. That pull is the whole point: you will play Fsus4 far more often as a move inside an F chord than as a chord on its own. On guitar the move takes one finger.

Fsus4 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: F suspended fourth
  • Symbol: Fsus4
  • Notes: F, Bb, C

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
Fsus4, four strings xx3311 F Bb C F No full barre: the small F with the fourth finger adding Bb on the third string.
Fsus4, thumb bass 1x3311 F F Bb C F The same shape with the thumb on F at the first fret of the low E. The fifth string stays muted.
Fsus4, full barre 133311 F C F Bb C F The E sus4 shape barred at fret 1: all six strings. The third finger flattens across three strings at fret 3.
Fsus4, eighth fret x 8 10 10 11 8 F C F Bb C The Asus4 shape at fret 8: first finger barre, second and third fingers on the fourth and third strings at fret 10, fourth finger on the second string at fret 11.
Fsus4, four strings x x 3 3 1 1 · · 3 4 1 1 fingers
Fsus4, thumb bass 1 x 3 3 1 1 T · 3 4 1 1 fingers
Fsus4, full barre 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 fingers
Fsus4, eighth fret x 8 10 10 11 8

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.

Fsus4 on the neck: every F, Bb, C

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Fsus4: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Fsus4.

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
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
2 - B
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
3 - G
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
4 - D
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
5 - A
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
6 - E
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E

How to play Fsus4, step by step

1. Hold the small F

xx3211: third finger on the fourth string at fret 3, second finger on the third string at fret 2, first finger flat over the second and first strings at fret 1.

2. Add the fourth finger: xx3311

Put the fourth finger on the third string at fret 3. That note is Bb, and it overrides the A under it: you are now on Fsus4. Lift the fourth finger and you are back on F. This is the move that appears in songs.

3. Add the bass, or barre it

With the thumb on the low E at fret 1, the shape becomes 1x3311. Once the full F barre is in your hands (133211), Fsus4 is the same barre with the third string raised to fret 3: 133311, the third finger flat across the fifth, fourth and third strings.

Some players fret the third string with the second finger instead and keep the fourth finger free. Both work; the fourth finger version is simply the fastest way in and out of F. The full barre is explained step by step on the F chord page.

The suspended F family on one string

Fsus2, F, Fsus4 and Fm share the same F and C. The difference lives on the third string, and it is all you need to listen for.

Chord Shape Notes Third string
Fsus2 xx3011 F, G, C Open: G, the second
Fm xx3111 F, Ab, C Fret 1: Ab, the minor third
F xx3211 F, A, C Fret 2: A, the major third
Fsus4 xx3311 F, Bb, C Fret 3: Bb, the fourth

The same idea on another root is on the Csus4 page, and Fadd9 shows the opposite approach: keep the third and add a note on top.

Progressions with Fsus4

Progression Shapes What to listen for
F, Fsus4, F xx3211, xx3311, xx3211 Bb falling to A: tension, then release.
Same, with the bass 1x3211, 1x3311, 1x3211 The thumb holds F while the top moves.
Fsus2, F, Fsus4, F xx3011, xx3211, xx3311, xx3211 The third string climbs G, A, Bb, then settles on A.
F, Fsus4, C, G xx3211, xx3311, x32010, 320003 A loop in C with a suspended IV.

Common mistakes

  • Strumming the open A string. In xx3311 it brings A back under the chord, and the suspension is gone. Start on the fourth string.
  • Holding Fsus4 too long. It is a passing tension. Let it resolve to F, usually within the bar.
  • Muting the second string with the fourth finger. Keep it arched, so the C under the first finger still rings.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Fsus4 on guitar?
The easiest version is xx3311: first finger flat across the second and first strings at fret 1, third finger on the fourth string at fret 3, fourth finger on the third string at fret 3. Strum from the fourth string down. The full barre version is 133311.
What notes are in Fsus4?
F, Bb and C. Bb, the fourth, takes the place of the third (A). That suspended fourth is what makes the chord sound like it is waiting to move.
Where does Fsus4 resolve to?
Almost always back to F. The Bb falls a half step to A and the chord settles. Play xx3311, then lift the fourth finger: the second finger is already on A at fret 2 if you hold the F shape underneath.
Is Fsus4 the same as Bbsus2?
On paper, yes: both contain F, Bb and C. The name depends on the bass and on where the music goes. With F in the bass and a return to F, call it Fsus4.
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.