B Suspended Fourth Ukulele Arpeggio
Ukulele arpeggio — fretboard diagram
B Suspended Fourth Arpeggio — Notes and Intervals
Notes: B, E, F#
Intervals: 1P, 4P, 5P
Formula: 5-W
Number of notes: 3
Also known as: sus4, sus
The B Suspended Fourth arpeggio contains 3 notes (B, E, F#). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this arpeggio on Ukulele with different tunings and fret ranges.
When to Use the B Suspended Fourth Arpeggio
Play the B Suspended Fourth arpeggio whenever a B 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 B Suspended Fourth arpeggio uses 3 notes (B, E, F#) 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 B Suspended Fourth Arpeggio on Ukulele
On ukulele, find B around fret 2 and play through the arpeggio tones (B, E, F#). With 3 notes, this arpeggio fits within a single chord shape on the ukulele. Try picking through the B Suspended Fourth chord form to hear the arpeggio in context.
The B Suspended Fourth arpeggio avoids the third, creating an open, unresolved sound. It works over Bsus4, Bsus2, B7sus4 voicings and is perfect for creating a modern, ambiguous harmonic feel that neither commits to major nor minor.
Practice Routine
Play the B Suspended Fourth arpeggio as whole notes over a backing track or drone on B. Focus on intonation and tone quality for each of the 3 notes (B, E, F#). After a few passes, begin improvising short melodic phrases built from these arpeggio tones, connecting them with passing notes.
Ukulele Tips
The ukulele's re-entrant tuning creates natural voice leading within the B Suspended Fourth arpeggio. Experiment with picking patterns that take advantage of the high G string to create unexpected interval leaps within the arpeggio shape.