E7sus4 is a 7th suspended 4th chord, and on the mandolin it is played from the notes E, A, B, D. Its first mandolin voicing is the open position: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string open; A string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string open. This page is a complete reference for it: notes and intervals, fingerings, mistakes to avoid, the keys it belongs to and a short practice routine.
What notes are in the E7sus4 chord?
The E7sus4 chord is a 7th suspended 4th chord, and its notes are fixed: E, A, B, D. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root E, so you can see the structure of E7sus4 at a glance. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E7sus4.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| E | Root |
| A | 4 |
| B | 5 |
| D | b7 |
The root is E, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in E7sus4 are 4, 5, b7. Once you know the intervals, you can build E7sus4 from any root by counting the same semitone steps, which is how the chord works in every key. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
E7sus4 sounds ringing and unresolved, the sound of a dominant chord holding its breath. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, A, B, D in E7sus4.
Comparing E7sus4 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 7sus4 against sus4: E7sus4 adds the flattened 7th D to the sus4 triad. The 7th makes it a dominant chord; the plain sus4 is neither major nor minor. Practise the two chords back to back and listen to the one note that changes — that single note is the difference between the two chords. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E7sus4.
How to play E7sus4 on mandolin
On the mandolin, E7sus4 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — E, A, B, D — in a different place on the neck. The first voicing below is the one to learn first, and the alternatives cover the rest of the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
Another way to play E7sus4 is the open position, in around fret 1: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string open; A string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string open. This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 2 to fret 2, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in E7sus4 — E, A, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want E7sus4 in around fret 9: G string at fret 9 (index finger); D string at fret 9 (index finger); A string open; E string at fret 10 (middle finger). It barres across strings 1 to 2 at fret 9 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 2 evenly at fret 9, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in E7sus4 — E, A, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play E7sus4 is the movable voicing, in around fret 4: G string at fret 4 (index finger); D string open; A string open; E string open. This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 4 to fret 4, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in E7sus4 — E, A, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of E7sus4 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide E7sus4 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of E7sus4 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into E7sus4 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E7sus4.
A short practice routine for E7sus4 on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above E and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Mandolin Chord Finder to see the diagram for E7sus4 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make E7sus4 sound wrong on the mandolin, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Forgetting the 7th. Without D this is just a sus4 triad. The 7th is what makes it a dominant chord. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E7sus4.
Holding it too long. A suspended chord that never resolves sounds stuck. Use it as a delay, not a destination. On the mandolin, the open position of E7sus4 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Missing one string of a course. Mandolin strings come in pairs, and E7sus4 needs both strings of each course to sound. If one string of a pair is muted by a neighbouring finger, the chord sounds thin. Check each course separately by plucking it on its own. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, A, B, D in E7sus4.
Never resolving the suspension. The 4th A wants to fall to G#. Practise the 7sus4-to-7 move so the resolution is clean. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, A, B, D in E7sus4.
Where E7sus4 is used
E7sus4 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of E major, the key of A major, the key of B major. a dominant chord that delays its resolution: play the sus4, then let it fall to the dominant 7th. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward A major, the key a perfect fourth above E, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where E7sus4 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E7sus4.
Because E7sus4 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain E triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try E7sus4 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, A, B, D in E7sus4.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in E7sus4 on guitar, E7sus4 on piano, E7sus4 on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the E major scale and the E minor pentatonic scale. Learning E7sus4 on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — E, A, B, D — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising E7sus4
A short worked example makes E7sus4 concrete. Play the four-chord progression A – E – F#m – D in A major, the key E7sus4 most often resolves toward: A – E – F#m – D. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how E7sus4 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on E7sus4 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the mandolin, the open position of E7sus4 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
For a second exercise, play E7sus4 and then the chord a fourth above E, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move E7sus4 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing E7sus4 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: E, A, B, D. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in E7sus4.
Frequently asked questions
Is E7sus4 hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of E7sus4 on the mandolin is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of E7sus4 on the mandolin?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for E7sus4 on the mandolin: frets 2–0–2–0, fingers 1–0–2–0. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.
What notes are in E7sus4?
E7sus4 contains E, A, B, D: root E, 4th A, perfect 5th B and flattened 7th D. There is no 3rd — the 4th takes its place until it resolves. On the mandolin, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you resolve E7sus4?
Let the 4th A fall to the major 3rd G#, turning the chord into the dominant 7th, which then resolves to the tonic. That two-step resolution is the classic 7sus4 move. On the mandolin, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
Where is E7sus4 used?
E7sus4 is a V chord in rock, pop and jazz, used to delay a resolution. It appears before dominant 7th chords and at the ends of phrases, where the suspension adds drama. On the mandolin, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.