Suspended Chords

Let’s look at how to play a B flat suspended chord on the piano. We’ll learn the pattern for building both a B flat suspended second chord, and a B flat suspended fourth chord.

What Are Suspended Chords?

There are two main types of suspended chords: suspended second chords and suspended fourth chords.

To play a suspended second chord, we can play the first, second and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

To play a suspended fourth chord, we can play the first, fourth and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

Suspended chords are similar to major chords. We can build major chords using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. But suspended chords change the middle note. Instead of using the third note of the matching major scale for the middle note of the chord, a suspended second chord uses the second note of the scale, and a suspended fourth chord uses the fourth note of the scale.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

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How to Play a B Flat Suspended Second Chord

To play a B flat suspended second chord, we’ll play the first, second and fifth notes of the B flat major scale:

B♭ – C – F

We can use this pattern to build any other suspended second chord. We can play the first, second and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

How to Play a B Flat Suspended Fourth Chord

To play a B flat suspended fourth chord, we’ll play the first, fourth and fifth notes of the B flat major scale:

B♭ – E♭ – F

We can use this pattern to build any other suspended fourth chord. We can play the first, fourth and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

The abbreviation for a B flat suspended second chord is: B♭sus2

The abbreviation for a B flat suspended fourth chord is: B♭sus4

If you see a chord labeled B♭sus, without a number after it, it usually indicates a sus4 chord.

Other Chord Types

Some other chord types you can learn are:

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 play a B flat suspended second chord and a B flat suspended fourth chord on the piano! And you can use that knowledge to build any other suspended second or suspended fourth chord!

I love using suspended chords, and use them pretty often as chord substitutions for major chords.

Suspended chords may sound like they “leave you hanging”, and you may want to resolve them back to the matching major or minor chord (they can be substituted for both). But I often leave them the way they are since I like them so much.

I hope you enjoy playing these wonderful chords!