A♭sus4

Ab Suspended 4th — the fourth suspends over the harmony and pulls down to the third — tension and release in one move.

The keys
C4C5C6
A♭ – D♭ – E♭
What's inside A♭sus4
NoteInterval from rootDegree
A♭Root1
D♭Perfect 4th4
E♭Perfect 5th5
Inversions
PositionKeys (low → high)
Root positionA♭4 – D♭5 – E♭5
1st inversionD♭5 – E♭5 – A♭5
2nd inversionE♭5 – A♭5 – D♭6
A working voicing

Split the chord between two hands the way working players do — a solid shell low down, the colour tones up top:

HandKeys
Left (shell)A♭2 – E♭3
Right (colour)D♭5 – E♭5
Where A♭sus4 lives

Suspend and resolve

A♭sus4 → A♭

The suspension releases into the plain triad — tension, then home.

As a pad colour

A♭sus → G♭ → D♭

Kept unresolved, the sus chord floats — a staple of modern pads.

Put A♭sus4 under your fingers

Hear every voicing, see the keys light up, and drill it in the interactive Chord & Voicing Lab.

Open the Chord & Voicing Lab →