A♭sus2 Chord on Guitar
A♭sus2 A♭ B♭ E♭ 2 shapes Barre chord
Also written G♯sus2: the same frets under another name.
Chord diagrams
How to play A♭sus2 on guitar
The A♭sus2 chord (A♭sus2) is made of A♭, B♭, E♭ - 1 2 5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the D-shape barre at fret 6 (xx6896). Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
A-shape barre, fret 11 x(11)(13)(13)(11)(11)
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in A♭sus2?
The A♭sus2 chord has 3 different notes: A♭, B♭, E♭. No third: the second (2 half steps above A♭) takes its place, so it is neither major nor minor. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: every shape here leaves at least one string unplayed - watch the x marks.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | Root | 0 |
| B♭ | Major 2nd | 2 |
| E♭ | Perfect 5th | 7 |
Chords that go with it
Chords in the key of A♭ major
The seven chords built on the A♭ major scale, with the easiest shape of each. I, IV and V are the three major chords that carry most songs in this key; vi is its relative minor.
A progression to strum
- I - V - vi - IVA♭ - E♭ - Fm - D♭
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play A♭sus2 on guitar?
The D-shape shape xx6896: D string fret 6 (finger 1), G string fret 8 (finger 3), B string fret 9 (finger 4), high E string fret 6 (finger 1); do not play low E and A. Your index finger lies flat across fret 6.
What notes are in the A♭sus2 chord?
The A♭sus2 chord (A♭sus2) is made of A♭, B♭, E♭. Its formula is 1 2 5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play A♭sus2 without a barre?
There is no common open shape for A♭sus2 in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: d-shape barre, fret 6 (xx6896) is the lowest on the neck. If a full barre is hard at first, play only the four highest strings of that shape - the root and the third are still there.
Is A♭sus2 the same as G♯sus2?
On the guitar, yes: the same frets. The name changes with the key - sharps in sharp keys, flats in flat keys.
Keep playing
Strum A♭sus2, then build a song around it
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