Which notes are in the Esus2 chord?

Esus2 contains the notes E, F# and B. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 2 – 5.

How many ways can you play Esus2?

Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Esus2, 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 Esus2 chord hard to play?

Not really. The open position of Esus2 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

E suspended 2nd · Guitar

Esus2 Chord on Guitar

The Esus2 chord (E suspended 2nd) is built from the notes E, F# and B. 2 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1open position

Fingering

string 6 (E): played open
string 5 (A): fret 2 — index finger
string 4 (D): fret 4 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 4 — little finger
string 2 (B): played open
string 1 (E): played open

Position 2barre shape · starts at fret 7

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 7 — index finger
string 4 (D): fret 9 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 9 — little finger
string 2 (B): fret 7 — index finger
string 1 (E): fret 7 — index finger

Notes in this chord

E
F♯
B

Degrees: 1 – 2 – 5

How to play

Esus2 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 Esus2 this structure sits on the root E, so the degrees 1 – 2 – 5 map onto E, F# and B.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the Esus2 chord?: Esus2 contains the notes E, F# and B. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 2 – 5.
How many ways can you play Esus2?: Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Esus2, 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 Esus2 chord hard to play?: Not really. The open position of Esus2 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

Practise Esus2 on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.