F Suspended 4th (Fsus4)

1+4+5
FCBb
4 4
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Notes in F Suspended 4th

F (root)BbC

Inversions

Same notes as F Suspended 4th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

F in the bass

FCBb

1st inversion

Bb in the bass

CFBb

2nd inversion

C in the bass

CFBb

F Suspended 4th is built from F, Bb and C.

The other suspension raises the missing third up to a perfect fourth, which sits a half step above where the third would normally be. That closeness creates real tension, and it's why a sus4 chord so often falls straight back down into the plain major or minor triad on the same root a beat later.

Difficulty: Beginner. Category: Triads. Click any key on the diagram above to hear that single note.