Suspended Chords
Let’s look at how to play a Bsus chord on the piano. We’ll look at how to build both Bsus2 and Bsus4 chords.
What Are Suspended Chords?
There are two main types of suspended chords: sus2 and sus4.
To play a sus2 chord, we’ll play the first, second and fifth notes of the matching major scale.
To play a sus4 chord, we’ll play the first, fourth and fifth notes of the matching major scale.
Suspended chords are similar to major chords. Major chords use the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale to build the chord, 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 sus2 chord uses the second note of the scale, and a sus4 chord uses the fourth note of the scale.
You can learn how to build a major scale here.
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.).
How to Play a Bsus2 Chord
To play a Bsus2 chord, we’ll play the first, second and fifth notes of the B major scale:
B – C♯ – F♯
We can use this pattern to build any other suspended second chord, by playing the first, second and fifth notes of the matching major scale.
How to Play a Bsus4 Chord
Now let’s build a Bsus4 chord. We’ll play the first, fourth and fifth notes of the B major scale:
B – E – F♯
We can use this pattern to build any other suspended fourth chord, by playing the first, fourth and fifth notes of the matching major scale.
If you see a chord labeled Bsus, without a number after it, it usually indicates a sus4 chord.
Conclusion
Now you know how to play Bsus2 and Bsus4 chords on the piano!
Suspended chords sound really nice. I like using them in place of major chords pretty often.
Suspended chords can sound like they “leave you hanging”, and you may want to resolve them back to their matching major or minor chord (they can be substituted for both). But I often leave them suspended since I like the way it sounds.
I hope you enjoy playing these beautiful chords!
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