Tools / Chords / A♭ suspended 2nd

A♭ suspended 2nd chord on ukulele (A♭sus2)

Also written A♭sus2 or A♭

Ukulele · A♭sus2/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-1

A♭ suspended 2nd contains A♭, B♭, and E♭. The default grip places the 5th in the bass, giving the chord a grounded, open sound.

A♭sus2/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-11-3-4-1

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

A♭1Root

B♭2Major 2nd

E♭5Perfect 5th

Formula 1, 2, 5

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionA♭–B♭–E♭A♭sus2Bass A♭

First inversionB♭–E♭–A♭A♭sus2/B♭Bass B♭

Second inversionE♭–A♭–B♭A♭sus2/E♭Bass E♭

Why it sounds like that

A♭ suspended 2nd is built from the formula 1, 2, 5. The major 2nd between A♭ and B♭ replaces the third, creating a suspended, airy quality. The perfect 5th between A♭ and E♭ anchors the chord. Compare it to A♭ major, which uses a major 3rd.

What goes wrong with A♭ suspended 2nd?

Letting the middle finger touch the E string, which deadens the 4th fret note.
Fretting the G string too close to the fret, causing a buzz.
Strumming the A string too hard, overpowering the chord.

When to use it

A♭ suspended 2nd works in A♭ major progressions like I–IV–V–I (A♭–D♭–E♭–A♭). It suits ballads and gospel for a suspended lift before resolving to A♭ major.

Changing to and from A♭ suspended 2nd

Move to <a href="/ukulele/a-flat-major-chord">A♭ major</a> by lifting the ring finger and placing it on the 2nd fret of the C string while shifting the pinky to the 3rd fret of the E string.

Which voicing to use

The default voicing has E♭ in the bass, making it a second-inversion shape. For a root-position sound, use the 8-8-6-6 shape, which places A♭ in the bass and is easier to fret.

How do you play an A♭ suspended 2nd chord on ukulele?

A♭sus2/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-1

Intermediate● On the diagram

A♭ suspended 2nd is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 4 1: index finger on the G string at fret 1, ring finger on the C string at fret 3, pinky finger on the E string at fret 4 and middle finger on the A string at fret 1.

Tip — The stretch between the 1st fret on the G string and the 3rd fret on the C string requires a wide hand span.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	1	1	A♭ (1)
3 (C)	3	3	E♭ (5)
2 (E)	4	4	A♭ (1)
1 (A)	1	2	B♭ (2)

A♭sus2/E♭ inversion · 3-3-4-6

Intermediate

A♭ suspended 2nd is played at the 3rd fret as 3 3 4 6: index finger on the G string at fret 3, middle finger on the C string at fret 3, ring finger on the E string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	3	1	B♭ (2)
3 (C)	3	2	E♭ (5)
2 (E)	4	3	A♭ (1)
1 (A)	6	4	E♭ (5)

6th fret

Barre

A♭ suspended 2nd is played at the 6th fret as 8 8 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the G string at fret 8 and ring finger on the C string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	8	2	E♭ (5)
3 (C)	8	3	A♭ (1)
2 (E)	6	1 (barre)	B♭ (2)
1 (A)	6	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)

A♭sus2/B♭ inversion

Intermediate

A♭ suspended 2nd is played at the 10th fret as × 10 11 11: index finger on the C string at fret 10, middle finger on the E string at fret 11 and ring finger on the A string at fret 11. The G string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	muted	—	—
3 (C)	10	1	B♭ (2)
2 (E)	11	2	E♭ (5)
1 (A)	11	3	A♭ (1)

A♭sus2/E♭ inversion · 3-3-4-1

Intermediate

A♭ suspended 2nd is played at the 1st fret as 3 3 4 1: middle finger on the G string at fret 3, ring finger on the C string at fret 3, pinky finger on the E string at fret 4 and index finger on the A string at fret 1.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	3	2	B♭ (2)
3 (C)	3	3	E♭ (5)
2 (E)	4	4	A♭ (1)
1 (A)	1	1	B♭ (2)

Common questions

How is A♭ suspended 2nd written?

A♭ suspended 2nd is written as A♭sus2 or A♭. The ASCII root is Ab, so you may see Absus2. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between A♭sus2 and A♭sus4?

A♭sus2 replaces the third with the major 2nd (B♭), while A♭sus4 uses the perfect 4th (D♭). The sus2 sounds brighter and more open; the sus4 feels more tense and unresolved.

Can A♭sus2 be used in minor keys?

A♭sus2 can appear in A♭ natural minor, where the 2nd is diatonic. It works as a substitution for the i chord to add color without committing to a minor third.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

A♭ (1)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

B♭ (2)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

B♭ (2)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

E♭ (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

E♭ (5)

3 (C)

A♭ (1)

2 (E)

1 (barre)

B♭ (2)

1 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

muted

—

3 (C)

B♭ (2)

2 (E)

E♭ (5)

1 (A)

A♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

B♭ (2)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

B♭ (2)