E♭sus2 chord
E♭sus2 is E♭, F and B♭: 1–2–5 built on E♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-6-8-8-6-6 · barre · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · F · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 2 · 5
- First shape
- x-6-8-8-6-6
E♭sus2 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · E♭–F–B♭ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- E♭ · F · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 2 · 5
E♭sus2 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-3-1-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · F · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 2 · 5
- First shape
- 3-3-1-1
Where E♭sus2 usually goes next
Three changes cover most of what E♭sus2 does in songs.
- E♭sus2 → E♭ (resolves up to the third)
Guitar: E♭sus2 (x-6-8-8-6-6) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your index finger lands on the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the high E string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 4th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Shared notes: E♭ and B♭.
Piano: E♭sus2 to E♭: play E♭ in root position (E♭–G–B♭) and E♭ and B♭ stay under the same fingers, while F moves up to G. E♭ - E♭sus2 → A♭ (IV in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭sus2 (x-6-8-8-6-6) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 5th fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 6th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the D string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared note: E♭.
Piano: E♭sus2 to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while F moves up to A♭ and B♭ up to C. A♭ - E♭sus2 → B♭ (V in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭sus2 (x-6-8-8-6-6) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the G string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for F and B♭, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: E♭sus2 to B♭: play B♭ in 1st inversion (D–F–B♭) and F and B♭ stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to D. B♭
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, Dsus2 shape; capo 3, Csus2 shape; capo 6, Asus2 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Dsus2 shape; capo 3, Csus2 shape.
How E♭sus2 is built
E♭sus2 replaces the third with the second, so it is neither major nor minor. It sounds open and airy, and it often resolves to E♭ or E♭m, or simply rings as a color of its own.
Start on E♭, count 2 half steps up to F then 5 half steps up to B♭. Written with flats or sharps the other way round it's D♯sus2; the sound is identical.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | root | 0 | |
| F | major second | 2 | |
| B♭ | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with E♭sus2
E♭sus2 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
Chords close to E♭sus2
- E♭sus2 and E♭ differ by one note: F in E♭sus2, G in E♭. They share E♭ and B♭. E♭
- E♭sus2 and E♭sus4 differ by one note: F in E♭sus2, A♭ in E♭sus4. They share E♭ and B♭. E♭sus4
Chords that share most of their notes with E♭sus2: B♭sus4, E♭add9, E♭9, E♭, E♭m, E♭sus4.
Every E♭ chord
E♭sus2 chord: questions
What notes are in the E♭sus2 chord?
E♭, F and B♭. E♭sus2 is built 1–2–5 from E♭: F is the major second and B♭ is the perfect fifth.
How do you play E♭sus2 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-6-8-8-6-6 (barre). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play E♭sus2 on piano?
Play E♭, F and B♭ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. E♭ sits on the black key between D and E. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play E♭sus2 on ukulele?
3-3-1-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is E♭sus2 in?
E♭sus2 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
What's the difference between E♭sus2 and E♭?
E♭sus2 and E♭ differ by one note: F in E♭sus2, G in E♭. They share E♭ and B♭.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.