Fsus4 Guitar Chord
F Sus4 · F–Bb–C
Fsus4 is the F sus4 chord: F–Bb–C. Its sound is tense and suspended — the 4th leans hard on the 3rd it displaced, begging to resolve.
Suspended chords are about motion: Fsus4 usually resolves to plain F or Fm, and strumming between them is a songwriting trick you've heard in everything from The Who to Tom Petty. Because there's no 3rd, Fsus4 works over both major and minor contexts in the key of F.
The most common way to play Fsus4 is the suspended grip at the 1st fret (1 x 3 3 1 1, low E string to high E string). Below you'll find 3 ways to play it across the neck, from open position to barre and shell voicings, with the theory behind the chord and the progressions it lives in.
How to Play Fsus4: 3 Voicings
Frets are listed from the low E string to the high E string. x = don't play that string, 0 = open string.
Fsus4 Chord Theory
| Interval | R | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | F | Bb | C |
Fsus4 is built from the F major scale.
Fsus4 Chord FAQ
What notes are in the Fsus4 chord?
Fsus4 contains 3 notes: F (R), Bb (4), C (5). The interval formula for a sus4 chord is R–4–5.
What is the easiest way to play Fsus4 on guitar?
Use the suspended grip at the 1st fret: 1 x 3 3 1 1 (frets listed from the low E string to the high E string, x = don't play that string). Fsus4 has no open-position shape in standard tuning, so this movable form is the standard starting point.
Is Fsus4 a major or minor chord?
Neither — Fsus4 has no 3rd, the note that decides major versus minor. That ambiguity is exactly why it's useful: it fits over both major and minor harmony.
What keys use the Fsus4 chord?
Fsus4 appears diatonically in F major (as I), C major (as IV), and Bb major (as V) — plus D minor, its relative minor key.
Related Chords
Hear yourself play Fsus4
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