A suspended 2nd · Guitar
Asus2 Chord on Guitar
The Asus2 chord (A suspended 2nd) is built from the notes A, B and E. 2 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.
Chord diagrams
Fingering
- string 6 (E): muted
- string 5 (A): played open
- string 4 (D): fret 2 — middle finger
- string 3 (G): fret 2 — ring finger
- string 2 (B): played open
- string 1 (E): played open
Fingering
- string 6 (E): muted
- string 5 (A): muted
- string 4 (D): fret 7 — index finger
- string 3 (G): fret 9 — ring finger
- string 2 (B): fret 10 — little finger
- string 1 (E): fret 7 — index finger
Notes in this chord
- A
- B
- E
Degrees: 1 – 2 – 5
How to play
Asus2 has 1 open position and 1 barre shape. Start with the open voicing if you are new to it; the barre shapes exist to move the same chord further up the neck without changing the key.
Theory behind the chord
Suspended second chords swap the third for a second, giving an open, airy sound. Guitarists often let one shape ring across several bars because it fits over both major and minor harmony. On Asus2 this structure sits on the root A, so the degrees 1 – 2 – 5 map onto A, B and E.
Frequently asked questions
- Which notes are in the Asus2 chord?
- Asus2 contains the notes A, B and E. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 2 – 5.
- How many ways can you play Asus2?
- Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Asus2, 1 of which is a barre shape. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
- Is the Asus2 chord hard to play?
- Not really. The open position of Asus2 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.
Practise Asus2 on your phone
Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.
