The notes of Asus2
Asus2 has three notes, A, B and E: B is a major 2nd above A and E is a perfect 5th above A. That gives the formula 1 2 5, a root, a major second and a perfect fifth: the third replaced by the second.
How it sounds and where it’s used
A sus2 chord sounds open and airy, neither major nor minor, because it has no third. Pop, rock and film music use it for a modern, spacious sound, sometimes on its own and sometimes resolving to the major or minor chord. You’ll meet Asus2 most as Isus2 in A major, Isus2 in A minor and IVsus2 in E major.
- Raise the B to C♯ for A major, or to C for A minor.
- Its notes are the same as Esus4, E, A and B, in another position.
Fingering
The thumb and little finger take the outer notes. Where two notes are a fourth apart rather than a third, the finger in between is skipped, which is why the inversions change the middle finger. Every thumb note here is a white key, so the hand can stay near the front edge of the keys.
| Position | Notes | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | A B E | 1-2-5 | 5-4-1 |
| 1st inversion | B E A | 1-3-5 | 5-3-1 |
| 2nd inversion | E A B | 1-4-5 | 5-2-1 |
Fingers count from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5). Shown low to high, so the left hand starts with 5.
Inversions
The same three notes can be stacked with any of them lowest. 1st inversion puts the second at the bottom: B, E and A, written Asus2/B. 2nd inversion puts the fifth at the bottom: E, A and B, written Asus2/E. Whatever is on top, the chord is still Asus2: the lowest note only changes its colour. Pianists choose the position that is nearest to the chord before, so the hand moves by a step instead of jumping.
Keys with Asus2
Asus2 is built from the notes of these keys, where it is the chord on the degree shown:
- Isus2 in A major
- Isus2 in A minor
- IVsus2 in E major
- IVsus2 in E minor
- Vsus2 in D major
- VIsus2 in C major
- VIsus2 in C♯ minor
- IIsus2 in G major
- IIIsus2 in F♯ minor
- VIIsus2 in B minor
A sus chord stands in for the major or minor chord on that degree, before it resolves or instead of it.
Finding it fast
Play A major and move the middle note down a whole step, to B: two keys left, counting black ones. In root position its keys are all white. Csus2, Dsus2, Fsus2 and Gsus2 have the same shape on the keys, so learn them together.
To read it on the page as quickly, practise the shapes with the chord reading quiz, and see how the notes are counted in intervals.