A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth Ukulele Arpeggio
Ukulele arpeggio — fretboard diagram
A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth Arpeggio — Notes and Intervals
Notes: A, D, E, G, Bb
Intervals: 1P, 4P, 5P, 7m, 9m
Formula: 5-W-WH-WH
Number of notes: 5
Also known as: b9sus, phryg, 7b9sus, 7b9sus4
The A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth arpeggio contains 5 notes (A, D, E, G, Bb). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this arpeggio on Ukulele with different tunings and fret ranges.
When to Use the A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth Arpeggio
Play the A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth arpeggio whenever a A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth chord appears in a progression. Unlike scales (which include passing tones), arpeggios guarantee every note you play IS a chord tone, making your solo sound harmonically precise and intentional.
Arpeggio vs. Scale
The A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth arpeggio uses 5 notes (A, D, E, G, Bb) while the full scale uses 7. The arpeggio is a subset — think of it as the skeleton of the scale. Practice alternating between the arpeggio and the full scale to develop a melodic vocabulary that mixes chord tones with passing tones.
How to Play A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth Arpeggio on Ukulele
On ukulele, find A around the open strings and play through the arpeggio tones (A, D, E, G, Bb). You may need to move beyond a single chord shape to reach all 5 notes. Practice connecting the arpeggio tones smoothly across adjacent fret positions.
The A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth arpeggio avoids the third, creating an open, unresolved sound. It works over Asus4, Asus2, A7sus4 voicings and is perfect for creating a modern, ambiguous harmonic feel that neither commits to major nor minor.
Practice Routine
Start by playing the A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth arpeggio ascending and descending at 60 BPM, one note per beat, using a metronome. Once even and confident, play it in eighth notes, then triplets, keeping each note articulate. Spend at least 5 minutes daily on this before moving to musical application.
Ukulele Tips
On ukulele, integrate the A Suspended Fourth Flat Ninth arpeggio into your fingerpicking by plucking through the chord shape one note at a time. This transforms a static strum into a melodic, harp-like texture that showcases each interval clearly.