How to Play an E sus 4 Chord on Guitar
The E sus 4 chord is a very airy and open-sounding chord. It is very common in popular music. The chord form is a variation of the standard E major chord. In this article you will learn how to construct and play an E sus 4 chord on your guitar. The "sus" that you see in standard chord diagrams is short for "suspended" due to the unresolved sound that suspended chords create.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Play the low E string (sixth string) on your guitar "open." Open means that you do not fret the string at all. This is the root of the chord.
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2
Place your middle finger on the second fret of the A string (fifth string) and pluck the string.
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3
Using your ring finger, press down on the second fret of the D string. Play the string.
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4
Place your pinky on the second fret of the G string (third stret) and play the string.
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5
Play the B string (second string) open.
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6
Play the high E string (first string) open.
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7
Continue to hold all of the frets in Steps 1 to 6 down and strum all of the notes together, including the open strings. That's it. You now know how to play an E sus 4 chord on the guitar!
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1
Tips & Warnings
To take the E sus 4 chord and turn it into an E-major chord, just play the E sus 4 chord and then take your pinky off the third string and replace it with your forefinger on the first fret of the third string. You now have an E-major chord. Go back and forth between the chords for a contemporary sound.
