Julie Swihart

Suspended Chords

Let’s look at how to play an Asus (A suspended) chord on the piano.

What Are Suspended Chords?

There are two main types of suspended chords: sus2 and sus4.

Sus2 chords are built using the first, second and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

Sus4 chords are built using the first, fourth and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

You can learn how to build a major scale here.

Let’s look at both types using A as the root note (the note the chord is named after).

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.).

Get the Printable

How to Play an Asus2 Chord

To play an Asus2 chord, we’ll play the first, second and fifth notes of the A major scale: A – B – E

A – B – E

You can use this pattern to build any sus2 chord on the piano. Just play the first, second and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

How to Play an Asus4 Chord

Now let’s look at how to play an Asus4 chord on the piano. To play an Asus4 chord, we’ll play, the first, fourth and fifth notes of the A major scale: A – D – E

A – D – E

You can use this pattern to play any sus4 chord on the piano. Just play the first, fourth and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

If you see a chord labeled “sus”, without a number, it usually indicates a sus4 chord.

Other Chord Types

There are many other chord types you can learn. Here are some others:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to build an Asus chord, and you can use that knowledge to build all kinds of sus2 and sus4 chords on the piano.

Suspended chords are lots of fun to use at the piano, and work very nicely as substitutes for major and minor chords, since the only difference is the middle note. Once you start using them, you’ll find there are lots of places to include them in your music!