Barre 6
Barre fret 6Placement tip: Barre fret 6. Press: 4th String (D) at fret 8 with your Middle finger, 3rd String (G) at fret 8 with your Ring finger, 2nd String (B) at fret 9 with your Pinky finger. Don't play: 6th String (Low E).
Ebsus4 guitar chord: see the fingering, compare positions, and hear it before you play.
P - i - m - a · Classic Ascending (4/4 · 4 notes · Level 1)
The thumb plays D# on the 5th and the three top strings add up to 3 different notes. All 6 arpeggios
Steady bass with uniform ascending movement.
Ebsus4 is built from Eb, Ab and Bb. Eb is the root, Ab the fourth and Bb the fifth. Said aloud, its notes are E flat, A flat and B flat.
String by string, low to high, it plays Eb, Bb, Eb, Ab and Bb. Eb rings twice across the five strings, and it is the root. It runs from Eb on string 5 up to Bb on string 1.
You play Ebsus4 with a barre at fret 6. String 6 is not played. Your hand covers four frets, from 6 to 9. There is one more position, starting at fret 11.
Change only string 2 in Ebsus4 and you have Eb. Ebsus4 and Ab have Eb and Ab in common. Ab shares one position with this shape.
Ebsus4 shows up in ten keys. In Eb major it is the Isus4, in Ab major the Vsus4 and in Gb major the VIsus4. The rest appear in the key list.
Eb 1Ab 4Bb 5
Root Bass (Fundamental String)5th String (A) • Fret 6 (Eb)
String Control (Muted & Active)5 / 6 • 1 X Muted
Placement tip: Barre fret 6. Press: 4th String (D) at fret 8 with your Middle finger, 3rd String (G) at fret 8 with your Ring finger, 2nd String (B) at fret 9 with your Pinky finger. Don't play: 6th String (Low E).
Placement tip: Barre fret 11. Press: 5th String (A) at fret 13 with your Ring finger, 4th String (D) at fret 13 with your Ring finger, 3rd String (G) at fret 13 with your Ring finger.
| Item | In this chord |
|---|---|
| Frets | 6 to 9 |
| Barre | fret 6, from the 5th to the 1st string |
| Fretting fingers | 4 |
| Open | none |
| Muted | 6th |
At fret 6, only the barre sounds the 5th and 1st strings.
The hand spans 4 frets, from 6 to 9.
Listen: Ebsus4 → Eb · Ab · Bb7
No finger is shared: place the bass on string 5 first, then the rest of the shape.
Ebsus4 sits in the scale of 10 keys.
The questions that come up most when playing this chord
To play the Ebsus4 chord on guitar, only 5 strings are played, from string 5 to string 1. Muted strings must be gently dampened with the fleshy side of a fretting finger to prevent dissonance.
The primary bass note of the Ebsus4 chord is its root note: Eb. In standard guitar tuning (EADGBe), this bass note is located on string 5 at fret 6.
When strumming or fingerpicking, strike this string first.
The Ebsus4 chord is constructed using the 1 - 4 - 5 formula (Suspended Fourth). Its constituent pitches are Eb, Ab, Bb.
To prevent fret buzz on the Ebsus4 barre chord, roll your index finger slightly outward (about 15 degrees) to press with its harder bony edge. Position your finger directly behind the fret wire and apply gentle arm pull from your back rather than squeezing with thumb force.

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