A Suspended 2 Guitar Chord

RA2B5E
Explore A Suspended 2 in Chord8 →

Voicing Positions (6)

×R5R25x 0 2 2 0 0
RR5R255 0 2 2 0 0
3RRR2255 0 7 4 0 0
32RR2257 0 7 4 0 0
62RR5257 0 7 9 0 0
62R25257 0 9 9 0 0

Interval Colors

In Chord8, every interval has a unique color. The colors follow the function of each note relative to the root — so they change when you switch chords.

R
R
m2
Minor 2nd
2
2
m3
Minor 3rd
M3
Major 3rd
P4
Perfect 4th
♭5
Tritone
5
5
m6
Minor 6th
M6
Major 6th
m7
Minor 7th
M7
Major 7th

A Suspended 2 Chord

The A Suspended 2 chord is built from the intervals: R, 2, and 5. It contains the notes A, B, and E. This is a suspended triad — one of the foundational chord types.

What A Suspended 2 Is

The A Suspended 2 is a suspended second chord — the third is replaced by the major second above the root. This produces a quietly unresolved character: the chord refuses to commit to major or minor, and naturally pulls toward a resolution where the second drops to the third. Sus2 voicings sound bright and modern, common in folk and singer-songwriter material.

How A Suspended 2 Sounds

The suspended quality gives A Suspended 2 a sense of motion. It can either resolve directly into the parent major or minor chord, or be left hanging as a colour chord. In acoustic guitar arrangements, sus chords are often used to add melodic interest to a static harmony — strumming through A major, A sus4, A major creates the classic folk-rock sound of an embellished tonic.

How To Use A Suspended 2 In A Progression

Suspended chords almost always either resolve to or come from the parent major chord. They are most common as embellishments on the I, IV, and V chords of a key, adding melodic interest without changing the underlying harmony.

Playing A Suspended 2 On Guitar

On guitar, the voicings shown above represent practical fingerings across different positions of the neck. Open and low-fret voicings tend to sound fullest because of the ringing open strings; higher voicings give a tighter, more focused sound. Try each voicing in context — the right one is whichever sits best under your melody.

Related Chords

Same root (A)

AAminA7AM7Am7AdimAaugAsus4

Same quality (Suspended 2)

G# Suspended 2Bb Suspended 2B Suspended 2D Suspended 2E Suspended 2

See the music. Every interval has a color.

Open Chord8 →