E♭ seven sus4 chordE♭7sus4

Built from

• E♭root
• A♭4th
• B♭5th
• D♭flat 7th

A dominant 7 with its 3rd suspended to the 4th: double the waiting.

Hear it in a progression

• ii–V–I

  The backbone of jazz. In A♭ major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. B♭m7ii7
  2. E♭7sus4V7
  3. A♭maj7Imaj7
  4. A♭maj7Imaj7

• Blues opening

  The first four bars of a twelve-bar blues. In E♭ major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. E♭7sus4I7sus4
  2. A♭7IV7
  3. E♭7sus4I7sus4
  4. E♭7sus4I7sus4

Where it goes next

Thinking in A♭ major, where it is the V7 chord.

• A♭maj7

  Imaj7. The strongest pull in music: tension resolving home.

• Fm7

  vi7. The fake-out: you expect home, you get the relative minor.

Sounds close

• B♭m7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have A♭, B♭ and D♭.

• D♭

  Shares 2 of its notes. Both have A♭ and D♭.

• D♭m

  Shares 2 of its notes. Both have A♭ and D♭.

• G♭

  Shares 2 of its notes. Both have B♭ and D♭.

Scales that fit

Notes you can play over this chord, simplest first.

• E♭ minor pentatonic
• E♭ mixolydian

Keys it lives in

• A♭ majoras V7
• F minoras VII7