About the A flat suspended four chord
A flat suspended four is used in A flat Major, where every note it holds is a scale tone. Think of it as an A♭ suspended fourth chord.
Its notes are A♭, D♭, and E♭. The intervals are a perfect fourth and a perfect fifth.
Also called sus. G sharp suspended four spells the same notes enharmonically.
Positions
Position 1 of 4
Notes and intervals
| 1 | AbA♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | DbD♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 3 | EbE♭ | Perfect 5th |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Other A flat chords
Simpler triads
Suspended
A flat suspended two chordA flat seven suspended four chordA flat nine suspended four chordA flat thirteen suspended four chord
Sixths and sevenths
A flat six chordA flat minor six chordA flat minor flat six chordA flat seven chordA flat major seven chordA flat minor seven chordA flat minor seven flat five chordA flat diminished seven chordA flat minor major seven chordA flat major seven flat five chordA flat major seven sharp five chordA flat minor major seven flat five chord
Extensions
A flat nine chordA flat add nine chordA flat major nine chordA flat minor nine chordA flat eleven chordA flat thirteen chordA flat six nine chordA flat minor add nine chordA flat major eleven chordA flat major thirteen chordA flat minor eleven chordA flat minor thirteen chordA flat minor six nine chordA flat minor major nine chordA flat minor major eleven chord
Altered
Functional relationships
These chords are where this one most naturally comes from and resolves to inside a key.
Dominant
The dominant is a fifth above the root, and it builds tension that pulls strongly back to this chord.
Subdominant
The subdominant is a fourth above the root (a fifth below), and it usually leads on to the dominant or back home.