C#sus2 Piano Chord

C sharp sus2 is the C sharp suspended second chord. It has three notes: C sharp, D sharp and G sharp. All three are black keys.

1C♯2D♯5G♯C4C5

C♯ at the bottom, then D♯ and G♯. Right hand 1-2-5, left hand 5-3-1. The black keys are C♯ and D♯ and G♯.

How to play C#sus2 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the C♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): C♯
  3. Index finger (2): D♯
  4. Little finger (5): G♯
  5. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 1 an octave lower, or just C♯ on its own as a bass note.

An all black chord is far easier than its name suggests. Play deep into the keyboard and the three raised keys guide the fingers into place.

Inversions of C#sus2

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are C#sus2; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionD♯ G♯ C♯
C#sus2 piano chord diagram, first inversion, D♯ G♯ C♯
Lighter than root position and less final. A second in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionG♯ C♯ D♯
C#sus2 piano chord diagram, second inversion, G♯ C♯ D♯
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.

If it sounds wrong

A finger slips onto a white key
Every note here is black. Keep the hand well into the keyboard.
You have played F
That is the third of C sharp major, and a suspended chord does not have one. The second note is D sharp.
The first two notes clash
C sharp and D sharp are adjacent black keys, a whole step apart. That closeness is the sound of the chord.

What makes it a C#sus2

C♯ · D♯ · G♯ 1 2 5

C sharp sus2 is C sharp, D sharp and G sharp: the root, the second and the fifth.

It belongs to the keys of C sharp, G sharp and F sharp. Those are rare home keys, so the chord usually appears inside a progression rather than as a destination.

C#sus2 vs C#

C sharp major has F, a white key; C sharp sus2 replaces it with D sharp, a black one. That makes the suspended chord the all black shape and the easier of the two.

The sound goes from bright and settled to open and undecided.

Questions about C#sus2

What does sus mean in C#sus2?

Suspended. The third of the chord is taken out and replaced by another note, so the chord is neither major nor minor. In C#sus2 the third is replaced by D sharp, the second.

Which notes are in a C#sus2 chord on piano?

C sharp, D sharp and G sharp.

What is the difference between C#sus2 and C sharpsus4?

Which note replaces the third. C#sus2 uses the second, one step above the root; C sharpsus4 uses the fourth, one step below the fifth. Sus2 sounds open and airy, sus4 sounds tense and wants to resolve.

Is C#sus2 major or minor?

Neither. The third is the note that decides, and a suspended chord does not have one. That is why it can sit in front of either C sharp major or C sharp minor.

Chords to learn next

Other C# chords