E♭sus2 chord on guitar

E♭sus2 is E♭, F and B♭. The usual shape is x-6-8-8-6-6, a barre at the 6th fret. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

How to play E♭sus2 on guitar

Shape 1, x-6-8-8-6-6, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 6th fret:

1. Lay your index finger flat across the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string at the 6th fret.
2. Middle finger: D string, 8th fret (B♭).
3. Ring finger: G string, 8th fret (E♭).
4. Don't play the low E string: start your strum on the A string.

• Barres get easier further up the neck because the strings sit lower. At the 6th fret you need less pressure than you think.

Other ways to play E♭sus2

• x-x-1-3-4-1: movable shape, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.
• x-x-13-10-11-11: movable shape at the 10th fret, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.

Playing E♭sus2 with a capo

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Dsus2 shape (x-x-0-2-3-0), capo on the 3rd fret and play the open Csus2 shape (x-3-0-0-3-3) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Asus2 shape (x-0-2-2-0-0). The chord sounds as E♭sus2 because the capo raises every string by a half step.

Changing from E♭sus2 to the chords around it

These are the changes you'll meet most often with E♭sus2, using the first shape of each chord.

• E♭ (resolves up to the third): 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♭. E♭ on guitar
• A♭ (IV in E♭ major): 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♭. A♭ on guitar
• B♭ (V in E♭ major): 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. B♭ on guitar

E♭sus2 replaces the third with the second, so it is neither major nor minor. The open second in E♭sus2 usually rises to the third, so play E♭sus2 then E♭ and listen for it to settle. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Practice E♭sus2 in two minutes

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: E♭, B♭, E♭, F, B♭. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Finish by moving between x-6-8-8-6-6 and x-x-1-3-4-1 to learn two positions of the same chord.

You may also see it as D♯sus2; nothing changes on the guitar.

E♭sus2 in context

E♭sus2 on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try E♭sus2 on ukulele or E♭sus2 on piano, or compare them on the E♭sus2 chord page.

Next to try on guitar

• E♭
• E♭sus4
• E♭add9
• E♭m

Other suspended second chords

• Csus2
• C♯sus2
• Dsus2
• Esus2
• Fsus2
• F♯sus2
• Gsus2
• A♭sus2
• Asus2
• B♭sus2
• Bsus2

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes E♭, F and B♭ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026. Print this chord