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Piano chord

E7sus4 Piano Chord

E7sus4 is a dominant 7sus4 chord rooted on E. A dominant 7th with the fourth standing in for the third. All of the pull, none of the bite.

The notes

4 notes. Every inversion below is these same notes in a different order.

E1
A4
B5
D♭7

How to play it

Root position first, then each inversion. Numbers next to each note are right-hand fingers — 1 is the thumb. Tap a key to hear it, or play the whole chord.

Root position
E1A2B3D5

The root is on the bottom — planted and stable.

1st inversion
A1B2D3E5

4 in the bass — same chord, new posture.

2nd inversion
B1D2E3A5

5 in the bass — same chord, new posture.

3rd inversion
D1E2A3B5

b7 in the bass — same chord, new posture.

Which inversion should you use?

Whichever one your hand is already near. Inversions exist so consecutive chords can share keys — instead of jumping the whole hand to a new root position, you move a finger or two and the chords melt into each other. That is most of what separates piano playing that sounds smooth from piano playing that sounds like a series of separate grabs.

Dominant 7sus4 chords in other keys

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