A Suspended Fourth Ukulele Arpeggio
Ukulele arpeggio — fretboard diagram
A Suspended Fourth Arpeggio — Notes and Intervals
Notes: A, D, E
Intervals: 1P, 4P, 5P
Formula: 5-W
Number of notes: 3
Also known as: sus4, sus
The A Suspended Fourth arpeggio contains 3 notes (A, D, E). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this arpeggio on Ukulele with different tunings and fret ranges.
When to Use the A Suspended Fourth Arpeggio
Play the A Suspended Fourth arpeggio whenever a A Suspended Fourth 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 arpeggio uses 3 notes (A, D, E) 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 Arpeggio on Ukulele
On ukulele, find A around the open strings and play through the arpeggio tones (A, D, E). With 3 notes, this arpeggio fits within a single chord shape on the ukulele. Try picking through the A Suspended Fourth chord form to hear the arpeggio in context.
The A Suspended Fourth 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
Practice the A Suspended Fourth arpeggio in different octaves, starting low and working up. Then try displacing the octaves — play the root low, the D an octave higher, and continue leaping. This trains your ear to hear the intervals (1P, 4P, 5P) in any register.
Ukulele Tips
On ukulele, integrate the A Suspended Fourth 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.