Banjo B♭sus4 chord (Sawmill)B♭ suspended 4th on the 5-string banjo: 3 3 3 3, and 5 more shapes

Bbsus4 chord chart for 5-string banjo in Sawmill tuning: 3 3 3 3, first position, with the short 5th string marked
Bbsus4 (Bb suspended 4th) on the 5-string banjo, Sawmill: 3 3 3 3, string 4 to string 1. Fingers are numbered on the dots; copper marks the root; the green ring on the left is the 5th string, solid when it’s in the chord.

Frets, string 4 to string 1: 3 3 3 3 (first position)

  1. String 4 (D): 3rd fret, index finger (barre), F
  2. String 3 (G): 3rd fret, index finger (barre), B♭
  3. String 2 (C): 3rd fret, index finger (barre), E♭
  4. String 1 (D): 3rd fret, index finger (barre), F
  5. String 5, the short g: open, G, not in the chord

Sounds: F B♭ E♭ F  ·  B♭sus4 is B♭, E♭, F (1 · 4 · 5)

The 5th string: the short g adds the 6th over B♭sus4, a colour rather than a clash.

With a capo: on the 3rd fret it’s 0 0 0 0 (frets counted from the capo), an open Gsus4 shape. Spike the 5th string at the 8th fret to keep it in tune with the capo.

Sawmill tuning: gDGCD, the short 5th string first, then strings 4 to 1.

Hear it in the app ›

The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts in open G. Choose Sawmill once in its Settings and it remembers.

More B♭sus4 shapes

  1. 1234gE♭B♭E♭F1 3 3 3
    at the nut
  2. 5fr341gB♭E♭F8 8 5 x
    5fr
  3. 10fr3114gE♭FB♭E♭13 10 10 13
    10fr
  4. 13fr1234gE♭B♭E♭F13 15 15 15
    13fr
  5. 15fr1111gFB♭E♭F15 15 15 15
    15fr

Other B♭ chords in Sawmill

B♭B♭mB♭7B♭m7B♭maj7B♭6B♭sus4B♭sus2B♭dimB♭aug

Other suspended 4th chords

Gsus4Asus4Dsus4Csus4Bsus4Esus4Fsus4B♭sus4

B♭sus4 in other tunings

Open GDouble COpen DC Tuning

All Sawmill banjo chords · Printable chart (PDF) · How to tune · The app