How to Play Fsus2 Chord on Guitar
In today's lesson, we'll go over 3 distinct ways to play the F suspended second chord, or Fsus2 for short.
We'll discover common positions, voicings, and recommend finger placements, each with its chord diagram. Later in this article, we'll also discuss chord theory, how it gets its name, and how to use it.
Fsus2 In Open Position
Due to the notes that are used to play this chord, this chord has an open position! To play, play an F5 shape (F power chord) but also strum the third string open.
Place your:
- 1st finger on the sixth string, first fret
- Ring finger on the fifth string, third fret
- Pinky finger on the fourth string, third fret
Be sure to avoid strumming strings 1 and 2 when you strum this chord!
Fsus2 Barre Chords
Fsus2 Guitar Chord With Bar #1:
Place your:
- Index finger on the fifth string, 8th fret
- Ring finger on 4th string, 10th fret
- Pinky on 3rd string, 10th fret
- Now, barre your index finger across strings 1-5
This is the most common and easiest way to play the Fsus2 Guitar chord!
Fsus2 Guitar Chord With Bar #2:
To play, place your:
- First finger on the fourth string, third fret
- Third finger on the third string, fifth fret
- Pinky finger on second string, sixth fret
- Now, barre across strings 1 - 4 with your index finger while you strum from the 4th string down
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Fsus2 Guitar Chord Theory
Here, I am going to break down the theory of the Fsus2 chord so you can better understand what's going on under the hood and how to use it.
The F suspended second chord is built from the F major scale: F G A Bb C D E
To understand the chord formula, you need to understand "scale degrees," which is simply numbering the notes starting with the root note.
Often, music teachers reference piano note names due to the simplicity of the layout of a piano, but I think the illustration below will do:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
F G A Bb C D E
If you've read my breakdown of the F major chord, you'd know that an F major chord uses notes F, A, C, which are the 1 3 5 notes of the scale. For a suspended second chord we use the 1 2 5 notes of the scale.
The Fsus2 is Neither A Major Nor A Minor Chord
In music theory, the 3rd scale degree determines if a chord is major or minor, and because the 3rd scale degree is not part of this chord's formula, it's simply not a major nor minor chord.
Now, notice from each chord diagram that notes F G C are being used. You must have these notes (no more, no less) to make a Fsus2 chord. This is another reason why learning your fretboard can make learning the guitar so much easier!
Side note: I don't want to get too deep into the theory, but sometimes you'll hear the 2 referred to as a major second in reference to the intervals. This is another layer deep and really isn't important right now.
How To Use A Suspended Second Chord
As already mentioned, a suspended second chord is neither major nor minor - it's almost like it's "SUSPENDED" and doesn't know where to go.
It's used to get a bit more mileage out of the chord before there is movement. This means that you can bounce around on it, moving from Fm to Fsus2 or F major to Fsus2 to keep the listener entertained a little longer before you move to another chord.
Try this:
If you are playing in the key of F minor, try Fm - Fsus2 x3 then end with Eb Db. If you are playing in the key of F major, try this progression: F- Fsus2 - C - Bb
It's super easy and sounds great!
Now you know a few ways to play the Fsus2 chord and understand some Fsus2 chord theory!
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