Asus2 Guitar Chord

Asus2 is the A suspended second chord. It has three notes: A, B and E. The open shape needs only two fingers, and it sits one lifted finger away from both A and Am, which is exactly how players use it: lift, let it ring, then land back on the plain chord.

Two fingers side by side at the 2nd fret with three open strings around them. This is the shape almost everyone means by Asus2.

How to play Asus2, step by step

Middle finger: 2nd fret, D string
Ring finger: 2nd fret, G string
Leave the A and B and high E strings open. Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E.

From this grip, press the B string at the 1st fret and you have Am; press it at the 2nd fret and you have A. Practice moving between all three, because that lift and return is the classic sus2 move.

More ways to play Asus2

There are 2 common Asus2 shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Asus2 guitar chord diagram, compact, frets 7 to 10, played x x 7 9 10 7 — Compact, frets 7 to 10

Songs that use the Asus2 chord

If it will not ring

Open B string sounds choked: The ring finger on the G string is leaning back into it. Curl the finger so its tip presses straight down and the B string has room.
Low E rumbles under the chord: Start the strum from the A string, or let the tip of the middle finger reach over just enough to touch the low E quiet.
The two fretted notes buzz: Middle and ring share the 2nd fret on neighbouring strings, so they crowd each other. Keep both right behind the fret wire and press with the tips.

What makes it an Asus2

A · B · E 1 2 5

Asus2 takes the A major triad and swaps its third, C♯, for the second, B. With no third the chord is neither major nor minor, which is why it can stand in front of A or Am equally well. The B does not clash with anything; it hangs, and your ear waits for it to move. Usually it settles onto C♯ for A major or C for A minor, each one fret away on the B string.

You will meet Asus2 wherever A chords live: the keys of A, D and E. Its usual job is decoration, giving a bar of plain A some movement without changing the harmony underneath.

Asus2 vs Asus4

Both chords remove the C♯ from A and hang a different note in its place: Asus2 hangs B, a whole step below the missing third, while Asus4 hangs D, a half step above it. On guitar the grips are close relatives: Asus2 lifts a finger from the A shape, Asus4 adds the pinky at the 3rd fret of the B string. Asus4 pulls harder toward A and wants to resolve quickly; Asus2 is calmer and can sit for a whole bar without sounding unfinished.

Asus2 chord questions

Is Asus2 major or minor?

Neither. The third, which decides major or minor, is replaced by the note B. That is what suspended means: the chord is left hanging until a third returns.

Is Asus2 easier than A?

Yes. It uses two fingers instead of three, and the crowding that makes the A chord fiddly is gone.

What is the difference between Asus2 and Asus4?

Asus2 replaces the C♯ of A with B; Asus4 replaces it with D. The sus4 sounds tenser and resolves faster, the sus2 sounds more open.

What songs use Asus2?

Dust in the Wind by Kansas is the famous one: its picking pattern walks through Am, Asus2 and Asus4, lifting and adding one finger at a time.

Can I play Asus2 instead of Am?

Sometimes. Asus2 shares two of its three notes with Am and has no third to argue with the key. If the song depends on the sad minor color, keep Am.