E♭sus2 Chord on Guitar
E♭sus2 E♭ F B♭ 2 shapes Barre chord
Also written D♯sus2: the same frets under another name.
Chord diagrams
How to play E♭sus2 on guitar
The E♭sus2 chord (E♭sus2) is made of E♭, F, B♭ - 1 2 5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the D-shape barre at fret 1 (xx1341). 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 6 x68866
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 E♭sus2?
The E♭sus2 chord has 3 different notes: E♭, F, B♭. No third: the second (2 half steps above E♭) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| E♭ | Root | 0 |
| F | Major 2nd | 2 |
| B♭ | Perfect 5th | 7 |
Chords that go with it
Chords in the key of E♭ major
The seven chords built on the E♭ 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 - IVE♭ - B♭ - Cm - A♭
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play E♭sus2 on guitar?
The D-shape shape xx1341: D string fret 1 (finger 1), G string fret 3 (finger 3), B string fret 4 (finger 4), high E string fret 1 (finger 1); do not play low E and A. Your index finger lies flat across fret 1.
What notes are in the E♭sus2 chord?
The E♭sus2 chord (E♭sus2) is made of E♭, F, B♭. Its formula is 1 2 5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play E♭sus2 without a barre?
There is no common open shape for E♭sus2 in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: d-shape barre, fret 1 (xx1341) 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 E♭sus2 the same as D♯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 E♭sus2, then build a song around it
The guitar on this page is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds the rest of the band in the browser - a sampled piano with chord pads, drum machines, a bass synth and a sequencer - with a 7-day free trial, no card required.