B flat ninth suspended fourth (Bb9sus4) chord on guitar
- Notes
- B♭E♭FA♭C
- Formula
- 145♭79
How to play Bb9sus4 on guitar
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Shape 1 · fret 1 · barre
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Shape 2 · fret 6 · barre
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Shape 3 · fret 3 · barre
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Shape 4 · fret 8
no 5th (F)
Some shapes leave out: 5th (F). The caption of each one says what is missing. The 5th is the first to go: it barely changes the sound of the chord.
Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (B flat). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.
Bb9sus4 inversions on guitar
The same Bb9sus4 with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb9sus4/F
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb9sus4/F
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb9sus4/Ab
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb9sus4/Ab
About the ninth suspended fourth chord
A suspended dominant with a ninth: the 4th in place of the 3rd and the 9th on top. Soft and ambiguous, it is one of the most used sounds of modern jazz, soul and gospel. It has the same notes as an eleventh chord played without the 3rd; without the 5th, it is the triad on the ♭7 over the root (B♭/C for C9sus4).
Notes and intervals of Bb9sus4
Bb9sus4 (B flat ninth suspended fourth) is built from 5 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:
- B♭ · 1 · root
- E♭ · 4 · perfect fourth
- F · 5 · perfect fifth
- A♭ · ♭7 · minor seventh
- C · 9 · ninth
Other B flat chords
- Bb
- Bbm
- Bb7
- Bb7M
- Bbm7
- Bbm7(b5)
- Bb°
- Bb°7
- Bb+
- Bbsus2
- Bbsus4
- Bb7sus4
- Bb5
- Bbadd9
- Bb6
- Bbm6
- Bb9
- Bbm(add9)
- Bbm9
- Bb7M(9)
- Bbm(7M)
- Bb7M(#5)
- Bb7(b9)
- Bb6(9)
- Bbm6(9)
- Bb11
- Bbm11
- Bb13
- Bbm13
- Bb7(#9)
- Bb7(#11)
- Bb7(b13)
- Bb7(#5)
- Bb7M(#11)
- Bb9sus4
Ninth suspended fourth: other roots
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the Bb9sus4 chord on guitar?
Bb9sus4 (B flat ninth suspended fourth) has 4 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.
What notes are in Bb9sus4?
The notes of Bb9sus4 are B♭, E♭, F, A♭, C. The formula is 1 · 4 · 5 · ♭7 · 9: root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth.
What does Bb9sus4 mean?
Bb9sus4 is the chord symbol for B flat ninth suspended fourth. A suspended dominant with a ninth: the 4th in place of the 3rd and the 9th on top. Soft and ambiguous, it is one of the most used sounds of modern jazz, soul and gospel. It has the same notes as an eleventh chord played without the 3rd; without the 5th, it is the triad on the ♭7 over the root (B♭/C for C9sus4).