Sus chords, also known as suspended chords, are chords that carry a lot of tension and resolve down to major chords. When a guitarist says “sus chord” what they really mean is Sus 4. However, technically there are two chords we could be referring to: sus4 or sus2. In this article we will go over different ways to play both Bsus4 and Bsus2 guitar chords.
We will explain the theory, include charts, and answer frequently asked questions so there is no room for interpretation! Let’s get started learning the Bsus guitar chord!
BSus4 Chord Theory
If you are curious to deeply understand how sus chords work, we need to go over a couple theory points. If you would like, you can skip over this section and get right to playing!
- The Bsus4 guitar chord has the notes BEF#
- This chord is built using the Root, 4th, and 5th of the B Major scale.
- The Bsus4 chord moves to B Major.
How To Play BSus4 Guitar Chord
There are always multiple ways to play a chord. The kind you prefer depends on your taste and context of the song you are playing. Try resolving each of these Bsus4 chords down to B major. Hint: You should only have to move one finger!
BSus4 Open Chord
While this is not technically an open chord because it doesn’t use open strings, it is played up at the top of the head stock so we’ll just call it an open chord.
BSus4 Barre Chord
Other Ways To Play BSus4
BSus2 Chord Theory
If you were actually looking for how to play a Bsus2 chord, this section is for you.
- The Bsus2 guitar chord works a lot like the Bsus4, however the only difference is that it takes the 2nd note from the B major scale instead of the 4th.
- In this case the notes would be B C# F#.
- Similar to the Bsus4 chords, Bsus2 also resolves to B Major.
- Instead of resolving the E down a half step, you should resolve C# up a whole step – if this is confusing to you, don’t worry about it, it’s not integral.
How To Play BSus2 Guitar Chord
Bsus2 can be harder on the fingers. These are 4 of the more practical fingerings for Bsus2.
BSus2 Barre Chord
Other Ways To Play BSus2
Learn To Play Other Suspended Guitar Chords
| Letter | Suspended Chords |
|---|---|
| A | Asus2, Asus4 |
| B | Bsus2, Bsus4 |
| C | Csus2, Csus4 |
| D | Dsus2, Dsus4 |
| E | Esus2, Esus4 |
| F | Fsus2, Fsus4 |
| G | Gsus2, Gsus4 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Bsus chord on guitar?
A Bsus chord refers to the chord Bsus4 unless Bsus2 is specified.
How to play Bsus2 on guitar?
The Bsus2 chord uses the notes B C# and F#. See the chord chart above to learn how to play it.
What notes are in the Bsus chord?
A Bsus4 chord has the notes B E F#, while a Bsus2 chord has the notes B C# F#.
What is the point of a suspended chord?
“Sus” is short for suspended. (No, not suspicious!)
Basically how it works is the 4th scale degree is temporarily a non chord tone, which creates tension and paves way for a sweet resolution to the B Major chord. That is why Sus4 and major chords often go hand in hand.
Conclusion
So, we sure went over a lot today. What you really need to know is that “Sus” is short for suspended. When we say “sus chord” we are typically referring to a sus4 chord, unless sus2 is specifically mentioned. Sus chords carry a lot of tension and typically resolve to major chords.
Sus4 chords borrow the 4th scale degree to replace the 3rd. If we were thinking in terms of voice leading, the 4th would resolve down a half step to the major 3rd of the chord. Try this on your guitar to see what I mean; It sounds more complicated than it actually is.
The Bsus4 chord has the notes B E and F#, and typically resolves to a B major chord.
Sus2 chords borrow the 2nd scale degree to replace the 3rd. In terms of voice leading, the 2nd should resolve up 1 half step to the 3rd.
As for the Bsus2 chord, it has the notes B C# and F#. It can resolve to a B major chord, but it is stable enough on its own that it doesn’t really need to.
