A brake pad for a motor vehicle is provided. The brake pad includes a body having upper and lower edges and a friction surface extending between the upper and lower edges for engaging a rotor. A notch is located along a section of the upper edge of the brake pad. The notch has an arc length of about ¼ to about ½ of an arc length of the pad and a depth of about ⅛ to about ⅙ of a height of the pad. During engagement with the rotor, the notch is configured to reduce squeal noise caused by tangential modes of the rotor.