B♭ 7sus4 (B♭7sus4) chord on banjo

Looking for the B♭7sus4 chord on banjo? It is a 7sus4 chord (a sus4 chord plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: B♭ – E♭ – F – A♭. The same chord with a different spelling: A♯ 7sus4 (A♯7sus4).

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 6easy

Position 8medium

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Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the B♭7sus4 chord sounds like

A 7sus4 is a suspended dominant seventh: a fourth replaces the third. It is less tense than a plain 7 chord and popular in funk, jazz and modern pop.

Notes of the B♭7sus4 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	B♭	root
4	E♭	perfect fourth (5 semitones)
5	F	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	A♭	minor seventh (10 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape, barre at fret 3

String 1 (D): fret 6, little finger (A♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 4, middle finger (E♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, index finger (B♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 3, index finger (F3)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 3; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 6, barre at fret 6

String 1 (D): fret 6, index finger (A♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 6, index finger (F4)
String 3 (G): fret 8, little finger (E♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 8, ring finger (B♭3)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 6; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 8

String 1 (D): fret 8, ring finger (B♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 9, little finger (A♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 8, middle finger (E♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 8, index finger (B♭3)

Five-string banjo in open G tuning (g D G B D). The diagram shows the four long strings; the short 5th string (g) rings open – avoid it when G is not in the chord. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The B♭7sus4 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

B♭ minor: I7sus4 (tonic)
E♭ major: V7sus4 (dominant)
E♭ minor: V7sus4 (dominant)
F minor: IV7sus4 (subdominant)
G♭ major: III7sus4
D♭ major: VI7sus4
A♭ major: II7sus4
C minor: VII7sus4

Similar chords and substitutes

If B♭7sus4 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

E7 – tritone substitute: the same third and seventh, swapped – a jazz favourite
Ddim7 – diminished seventh on the third: a common stand-in for the dominant
B♭7 – a simpler dominant
E♭ – where it resolves (V → I)

Simpler versions

B♭sus4 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

B♭11 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B♭7sus4 chord?

B♭, E♭, F, A♭. The root is B♭; the intervals of the other notes from the root: perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play B♭7sus4 on banjo?

The easiest shape above is “Position 6”, rated easy. We show 3 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some B♭7sus4 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (F) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

Why do some songbooks write H instead of B?

In German and Central European notation, H is the note B, and B is the note B♭. So a “B” chord in a German or Hungarian songbook is B♭ in English notation, and an “H” chord is B. Always check which notation your chord chart uses.