Esus2 guitar chord
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful.
- Tap a note to hear it
- Arrows change position
- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About Esus2 — open string voicings
Esus2 is E, F# and B — E with the third replaced by the second.
It sounds open, and neither major nor minor. With no third it works over either quality, which is why strummed parts lean on it.
Esus2 notes and formula
| E | F# | B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 5 |
Suspended — it hangs until something moves.
Also written E2 or E suspended 2nd. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play Esus2
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. It costs no finger, so it can sound a note the closed shape has none left for: a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath.
These belong to their key rather than to a shape: they cannot be moved up the neck. D, A, G and E have many; E♭ has a handful.
Esus2 has 2 of them, on strings 6-4-3-2 and the top four strings, all of them at the 4th fret — every inversion the chord has: E in the bass and F# in the bass. The one to learn first is the F# shape at the 4th fret, which is the easiest grip here.
Start with xx2452 — no barre and down at the nut. None of the shapes for Esus2 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 2nd fret. 6 of the 10 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 14th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xx2452 | 2nd fret | E, root position | F# | all fretted |
| x74457 | 4th fret | E, root position | B | all fretted |
| xx4457 | 4th fret | F#, 2nd in the bass | B | all fretted |
| 079977 | 7th fret | E, root position | B | barred |
| x79977 | 7th fret | E, root position | B | barred |
| 099900 | 9th fret | E, root position | E | barred |
| 12-9-9-11-12-x | 9th fret | E, root position | B | all fretted |
| x-9-9-9-12-12 | 9th fret | F#, 2nd in the bass | E | barred |
| 12-x-x-11-12-12 | 11th fret | E, root position | E | barred |
| 12-14-14-x-12-14 | 12th fret | E, root position | F# | barred |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 47 triad voicings, each on its own page.
How to use Esus2
Voice by voice, Esus2 → E. No voice moves by a semitone, and 2 notes are common to both chords.
| In Esus2 | Moves | In E |
|---|---|---|
| E, the root | stays where it is | E, the root |
| F#, the second | falls a whole tone | E, the root |
| B, the fifth | stays where it is | B, the fifth |
In which keys. Every note of Esus2 belongs to C# minor (the ♭III), D major (the ii), E major (the I), E minor (the i), F# minor (the ♭VII), G major (the vi), Ab minor (the ♭VI), A major (the V), B major (the IV) and B minor (the iv).
What to play over Esus2
Every note of Esus2 is in E major pentatonic, E major, E lydian, E mixolydian and E dorian.
Chords near Esus2
Change one note of Esus2 and you have E (the ninth becomes a major third), Em (the ninth becomes a minor third), Esus4 (the ninth becomes a fourth), Esus2sus4 (add the fourth), Eadd9 (add the major third) or E5 (drop the ninth).
Esus2 is a suspended chord — root and fifth, with a second or fourth where the third would be — or nothing at all. Suspended and power chords on every root.
On Esus2’s sound and use this page follows Robert Rawlins & Nor Eddine Bahha, Jazzology (Hal Leonard, 2005). The shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.