Sus2 Chord
The third is replaced by the second: C, D and G. With no third there is no major and no minor, so the chord sounds open and unclaimed and will sit in front of either one.
- 3 notes
- 1 2 5
- open
which styles use it
- Ambient
- Rock & folk
- Pop
- Post-rock
Which notes are in a sus2 chord?
The root, the second and the fifth. In C: C, D and G.
- C, the root
- D, the second, standing where the third belongs
- G, the fifth
It is lighter than a sus4. The fourth leans on the third from above and sounds like a question; the second sits below it and sounds more like an open window.
Csus2 and Gsus4 are the same three notes
Csus2 is C, D and G. Gsus4 is G, C and D. Exactly the same notes, and which name applies depends entirely on which one is in the bass.
That is not a piece of trivia, it is the explanation for why sus chords feel like they are hovering: your ear is not always sure which note is the root, so it is not sure where home is. Change the bass note and the same shape changes identity. More on that in inversions.
Where do you reach for it?
Anywhere you want harmony that does not take a position. A sus2 fits over a major melody and over a minor one, which makes it useful in modal writing, in folk, and in anything ambient where the chords are meant to hold the space open rather than steer it.
On guitar it is also simply easy: take a finger off a standard open chord and you often have one.
sus2 or add9?
On paper the extra note is a D in both. In practice they are different chords.
- Csus2 (C D G) - The D replaces the third and sits right next to the root. No mood.
- Cadd9 (C E G D) - The third stays and the D goes an octave higher, above it. A normal major chord with a sparkle on top.
- C9 (C E G Bb D) - A bare 9 in a chord symbol means the seventh is in there too. If you want the ninth without the seventh, write add9.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as a weaker sus4
They do different jobs. Sus4 wants to resolve, sus2 wants to stay.
- Expecting it to sound unfinished
It usually does not. Hold one for eight bars and most listeners hear it as a chord, not as a delay.