B♭ / A♯ suspended second
How to play B♭sus2 — Suspended second
B♭sus2 (Suspended second)B♭ · C · F
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
B♭ / A♯ suspended second — notes and structure
The B♭sus2 chord replaces the third with the second for an airy, open sound common in folk and pop.
The B♭sus2 suspended second consists of the notes B♭, C, F. Its interval structure is R–2–5 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
B♭sus2 stacks a major second (C) and a perfect fifth (F) above the root B♭.
The finder shows 2 ways to play B♭sus2 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 6th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is B♭sus2 in?
Every note of B♭sus2 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- F major — the IV chord
- B♭ major — the I chord
- E♭ major — the V chord
- A♭ major — the II chord
Chords that go with B♭sus2
In F major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put B♭sus2 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the B♭ / A♯ suspended second chord?
- The B♭sus2 chord contains the notes B♭, C, F. It replaces the third with the second for an airy, open sound common in folk and pop.
- How many ways can you play B♭sus2 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is B♭sus2 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does B♭sus2 belong to?
- B♭sus2 fits F major (where it is the IV chord), B♭ major (where it is the I chord), E♭ major (where it is the V chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.