Csus2 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes

The Csus2 chord is a suspended second chord built on the root note C. Its notes are C, D and G.

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.

Guitar shapes Piano fingering

Root

Quality

Csus2 on piano

View:

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

To play Csus2 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on C, middle finger on D, and little finger on G. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.

Csus2 on guitar

View:

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

On guitar, Csus2 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre shape: keep the index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.

Play the chord

Csus2

C · D · G

Csus2 chord notes

Formula: 1 · 2 · 5Notes: C · D · G

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	C
2	Major second	2	D
5	Perfect fifth	7	G

How to use the Csus2 chord

The Csus2 chord is built from a root, a major second and a perfect fifth. Start at the root C and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C, D and G. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.

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

Common progressions

The Csus2 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Pop progression

I → V → vi → IV

C G Am F

Classic I-IV-V

I → IV → V → I

C F G C

50s progression

I → vi → IV → V

C Am F G

Once Csus2 feels comfortable, the chords below open up new progressions. Each one shares notes, keys or a harmonic function with it, which is what makes it the natural place to go next.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Csus2 chord?

The Csus2 chord contains C, D and G.

Is the Csus2 chord major or minor?

Csus2 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 Csus2 on piano?

Place your fingers on C, D and G and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.

How do you play Csus2 on guitar?

Csus2 is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.

What chords work well with Csus2?

Csus2 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the Csus2 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chords Explore scales Explore progressions Chord Transposer Chord Finder Chords in Key Try the Piano Open Circle of Fifths