Piano chord · Suspended 2nd
C suspended 2nd piano chord (Csus2)
C, D and G, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
Notes in Csus2: C, D and G
| Note | Interval from the root | Key around middle C |
|---|---|---|
| C | Root | C4 · white key |
| D | Major 2nd | D4 · white key |
| G | Perfect 5th | G4 · white key |
- Chord symbol: Csus2 — C suspended 2nd
- Formula: R · 2 · 5 (0 · 2 · 7 semitones from the root)
- Right hand fingering: 1-3-5 — thumb, middle finger and little finger
- Left hand fingering: 5-3-1, little finger on the root
How Csus2 works
Csus2 swaps C major's E for D, the second. With no third it is neither major nor minor, so it sounds open and unresolved — a favorite for pop intros and worship songs, often resolving to C or left hanging on purpose.
Csus2 inversions
An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then two inversions.
Root position
C–D–G — the root, C, is at the bottom.
1st inversion — D in the bass
D–G–C — the same three notes, reordered so D is lowest.
2nd inversion — G in the bass
G–C–D — the same three notes, reordered so G is lowest.
Common mistakes on Csus2
- Calling it D-something. The lowest note is still C, the root; D is the suspension.
- Playing D and E together. The point of the chord is the missing third.
Piano chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.