About Ebsus2 — triad voicings
Ebsus2 is Eb, F and Bb — Eb 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.
Ebsus2 notes and formula
| Eb | F | Bb |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 5 |
Suspended — it hangs until something moves.
Also written Eb2 or Eb suspended 2nd. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play Ebsus2
Three notes on one string set. No seventh, so nothing is claimed about the chord beyond its quality.
Thin on their own, excellent over a bass line or against someone else’s harmony.
Ebsus2 has 47 of them, on the bottom three strings, the bottom four strings, the high-middle three, the top three strings, the middle four strings, the top four strings, the low-middle three, strings 6-4-3-2 and strings 5-3-2-1, from open position up to the 13th — every inversion the chord has: Eb in the bass, F in the bass and Bb in the bass. The one to learn first is the F shape at the nut, which is the easiest grip here.
6 of them sit on the bottom four strings, so you can run the inversions up one set without changing strings — which is the whole reason to learn them as a family rather than as separate grips.
Start with xx1341 — no barre and down at the nut. None of the shapes for Ebsus2 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 4 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 13th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xx1341 | 1st fret | Eb, root position | F | all fretted |
| x63346 | 3rd fret | Eb, root position | Bb | all fretted |
| xx3346 | 3rd fret | F, 2nd in the bass | Bb | all fretted |
| x68866 | 6th fret | Eb, root position | Bb | barred |
| 11-8-8-10-11-x | 8th fret | Eb, root position | Bb | all fretted |
| x-8-8-8-11-11 | 8th fret | F, 2nd in the bass | Eb | barred |
| 11-x-x-10-11-11 | 10th fret | Eb, root position | Eb | barred |
| 11-13-13-x-11-13 | 11th fret | Eb, root position | F | barred |
How to use Ebsus2
Voice by voice, Ebsus2 → Eb. No voice moves by a semitone, and 2 notes are common to both chords.
| In Ebsus2 | Moves | In Eb |
|---|---|---|
| Eb, the root | stays where it is | Eb, the root |
| F, the second | falls a whole tone | Eb, the root |
| Bb, the fifth | stays where it is | Bb, the fifth |
In which keys. Every note of Ebsus2 belongs to C minor (the ♭III), C# major (the ii), Eb major (the I), Eb minor (the i), F minor (the ♭VII), F# major (the vi), G minor (the ♭VI), Ab major (the V), Bb major (the IV) and Bb minor (the iv).
What to play over Ebsus2
Every note of Ebsus2 is in Eb major pentatonic, Eb major, Eb lydian, Eb mixolydian and Eb dorian.
Chords near Ebsus2
Change one note of Ebsus2 and you have Eb (the ninth becomes a major third), Ebm (the ninth becomes a minor third), Ebsus4 (the ninth becomes a fourth), Ebsus2sus4 (add the fourth), Ebadd9 (add the major third) or Ebmadd9 (add the minor third).
Ebsus2 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 Ebsus2’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.