Absus2

Absus2 is Ab, Bb and Eb, a suspended second. The shape this page opens on is written 41134x, lowest string first.

Note by note. Ab is the root, Bb is the ninth and Eb is the fifth.

Also written Ab2 or Ab suspended 2nd. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Absus2 on the guitar, and 47 derived voicings in the triad family.

One note away. Change a single note of Absus2 and you have Ab (with one note moved), Abm (with one note moved), Absus4 (with one note moved), Abadd9 (with one note added), Abmadd9 (with one note added) or Ab5 (with one note taken away).

In which keys. Every note of Absus2 belongs to C minor (the ♭VI), C# major (the V), Eb major (the IV), Eb minor (the iv), F minor (the ♭III), F# major (the ii), Ab major (the I), Ab minor (the i), Bb minor (the ♭VII) and B major (the vi).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 41134x, 4xx344, x11144, 466x46, xx6896, x-11-8-8-9-11, x-x-8-8-9-11, x-11-13-13-11-11.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Absus2 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 4 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 13th.

Triad. Three notes across one string set. Absus2 has x111xx, xxx344, 666xxx, 6668xx, xx889x, x-x-x-13-11-11, x-x-13-13-11-x, x-11-13-13-11-x.

What kind of chord this is. Absus2 is a suspended chord — root and fifth, with a second or fourth where the third would be — or nothing at all. suspended and power chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.