Esus2 Chord

The Esus2 chord is a suspended second chord built on the root note E. Its notes are E, F♯ and B.

Suspended second chords sound open and airy. Replacing the third with a second removes the major/minor colour and leaves a hollow, modern feel used heavily in folk, indie and cinematic music.

Esus2 on piano

Piano diagram of the Esus2 chordEBEBF♯F♯Esus2 — E · F♯ · B

To play Esus2 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on E, middle finger on F♯, and little finger on B. Press all keys at the same time and listen for a clear, balanced sound. Practice switching to and from this chord slowly, then with a metronome at a comfortable tempo.

Esus2 on guitar

Guitar chord diagram of the Esus2 chordEsus2

On guitar, Esus2 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. If the chord contains barred notes, keep your index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the other fingers so they do not mute the open strings. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram for the cleanest tone.

Play the chord

Esus2
E · F♯ · B

Esus2 chord notes

Formula: 1 · 2 · 5Notes: E · F♯ · B
DegreeIntervalSemitonesNote
1Root0E
2Major second2F♯(F#)
5Perfect fifth7B

How to use the Esus2 chord

The Esus2 chord is built from a root, a major second and a perfect fifth. Starting from the root E, stack the intervals to get the complete chord: E, F♯ and B. Learning the formula is the fastest way to transpose the chord to any other key.

Suspended second chords are a signature sound of modern pop, worship music, ambient and post-rock. They are commonly used as colour over a root chord or as an open alternative to major.

Common progressions

The Esus2 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Pop progression
I → V → vi → IV
EBC♯mA
Classic I-IV-V
I → IV → V → I
EABE
50s progression
I → vi → IV → V
EC♯mAB

Related chords to Esus2

Once you are comfortable with Esus2, explore neighbouring chords to unlock new progressions. The chords below share notes, keys or functions with Esus2 and are a natural next step in your practice.

Csus2
C · D · G
C♯sus2
C♯ · D♯ · G♯
Dsus2
D · E · A
E♭sus2
E♭ · F · B♭
E Major
E · G♯ · B
E Minor
E · G · B
E7
E · G♯ · B · D
Emaj7
E · G♯ · B · D♯
Bsus2
B · C♯ · F♯
Asus2
A · B · E

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Esus2 chord?
The Esus2 chord contains E, F♯ and B (E, F# and B in plain text).
Is the Esus2 chord major or minor?
Esus2 is a suspended second chord. Suspended second chords sound open and airy. Replacing the third with a second removes the major/minor colour and leaves a hollow, modern feel used heavily in folk, indie and cinematic music.
How do you play Esus2 on piano?
Place your fingers on E, F♯ and B and play the notes together. On piano, the root is usually played with the little finger of the left hand and the upper notes with the right hand.
How do you play Esus2 on guitar?
Esus2 is typically played using the fingering shown in the interactive diagram above. You can also try an open position if one of the chord tones lines up with an open string.
What chords work well with Esus2?
Esus2 pairs naturally with the chords listed in the related chords section. Chords a perfect fifth up or down, relative major or minor chords, and chords sharing two notes are all strong choices.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the Esus2 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chordsTry the PianoOpen Circle of Fifths