Which strings do I strum for E suspended four?

6 strings, from the thick E string down to the thin e. All six ring.

What notes are in an E suspended four chord?

E, A, B. The E is the root, the note the chord is named after. There is no third, so it is neither major nor minor.

What chords go with Esus4?

Its neighbours on the circle of fifths, A and B, and its relative minor, C#m. Songs move between these because they share notes.

suspended fourth chord

How to play E suspended four chord on guitar

E with the index finger moved up a fret. Three fingers in a row, all six strings.

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Where the fingers go

1
middle finger, A string, fret 2
Count from the thick string: E A.
2
ring finger, D string, fret 2
Count from the thick string: E A D.
3
pinky, G string, fret 2
Count from the thick string: E A D G.
4
Leave the thick E, B, thin e strings open
They ring without any finger. They are part of the chord.
5
Strum 6 strings, from the thick E string down
All six strings belong to this chord.

The same shape seen along the neck, thin e on top. Numbers are fingers; 0 is an open string.

The notes in Esus4

A chord is three or four notes played together. E suspended four is built from these:

Note	Job in the chord	Where it is in this shape
E	root	thick E string, open; D string, fret 2; thin e string, open
A	fourth	G string, fret 2
B	fifth	A string, fret 2; B string, open

The root, E, is the note it is named after. There is no third in this chord, the note that would make it major or minor, which is why it sounds tense, it wants to fall back to the plain chord.

Where it sits on the circle of fifths

The circle of fifths lines up the twelve keys so that neighbours share the most notes. Chords next to each other on the circle sound good one after the other, which is why songs move between them.

A and B are Esus4’s neighbours. Most songs in Esus4 use one or both.
C#m is its relative minor: the same notes, a different home. Swapping between them changes the mood without changing your hand much.

The mistake everyone makes

Watch out

Fingers crowd at fret 2

Three fingertips share fret 2 on the A, D and G strings. Use middle, ring and pinky, or flatten the ring finger across two strings.

Tip

Esus4 to E

Slide the top finger back to fret 1 and you have E. The tension resolves.

Songs that use it

Rock in E. Often the very first chord of a song.

None of the songs on the site use Esus4 yet. It is coming with the next batch.

Questions people ask

Which strings do I strum for E suspended four?: 6 strings, from the thick E string down to the thin e. All six ring.
What notes are in an E suspended four chord?: E, A, B. The E is the root, the note the chord is named after. There is no third, so it is neither major nor minor.
What chords go with Esus4?: Its neighbours on the circle of fifths, A and B, and its relative minor, C#m. Songs move between these because they share notes.