F#sus2 F# suspended second chord
- Notes
- F# G# C#
- Formula
- 1 2 5
- Semitones
- 0 2 7 above the root
- Also written
- Gbsus2 (Gb Ab Db)
F# to G# is a major second (2 semitones), G# to C# is a perfect fourth (5 semitones). The third is replaced by the second (G#), so the chord is neither major nor minor. The same three keys with C# in the bass read as Dbsus4 (also written C#sus4).
F#sus2 on the piano
Root position from F#4: F#4, G#4, C#5. Middle C is C4.
F#sus2 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has F# as its lowest note.
x 9 11 11 9 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#3 C#4 F#4 G#4 C#5
The barre shapes are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play suspended second chords on other roots.
Inversions of F#sus2
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | F# G# C# | F#sus2 | |
| 1st inversion | G# C# F# | Ab7sus4 (also written G#7sus4; also read as F#sus2/G#) | |
| 2nd inversion | C# F# G# | Dbsus4 (also written C#sus4; also read as F#sus2/C#) |
Where F#sus2 fits
A sus chord has no third, so it is neither major nor minor and has no fixed place in a key. In F#sus2 the second, G#, usually rises to the major or minor third or falls back to the root F#; it is also often left unresolved as a colour, especially on guitar.