Suspended & power
A♯ suspended 2nd chord
Open and airy; the 2nd replaces the 3rd, so it is neither major nor minor.
- Notes
- A♯B♯E♯
- Formula
- 125
- Built from
- root · major 2nd · perfect 5th
How to play A♯sus2
About the A♯ suspended 2nd chord
Playing it
There’s no open-string way to play A♯sus2 on guitar with the root in the bass, so the standard shape is a barre across the 1st fret (x13311).
On piano, A♯sus2 has one black key (A♯) and two white keys.
On ukulele the usual A♯sus2 shape is 3011, with a small 2-string barre at the 1st fret.
Related chords
A♯sus2 contains exactly the same notes as Fsus4. Which name fits depends on which note is in the bass and what key you’re in.
Move a single note and A♯sus2 becomes a different chord: swap B♯ for C𝄪 for A♯, raise B♯ to C♯ for A♯m, swap B♯ for D♯ for A♯sus4 and add C𝄪 for A♯add9.
Where you’ll hear it
Notice the B♯ in A♯sus2 (A♯ B♯ E♯): each note of the chord takes its own letter (A–B–E), so the major 2nd has to be written B♯ rather than C — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
