To play Asus2 on the mandolin, you need the notes A, B, E. Its first mandolin voicing is a barre chord at fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (index finger); E string open. This guide covers the suspended 2nd chord in full: what is in it, how to play it cleanly on the mandolin, where it fits musically and how to practise it.
What notes are in the Asus2 chord?
The Asus2 chord is a suspended 2nd chord, and its notes are fixed: A, B, E. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root A, so you can see the structure of Asus2 at a glance. On the mandolin, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Asus2.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| A | Root |
| B | 2 |
| E | 5 |
The root is A, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Asus2 are 2, 5. Learn those intervals rather than memorising the shape alone, because the same interval pattern transposed to another root gives you the same quality of chord anywhere. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Asus2 sounds bright and spacious, the 2nd ({second}) replacing the 3rd so the chord sounds modern and clean. The colour is strongest when all the notes ring clearly. A muted chord tone, especially the 3rd or the 7th where the chord has one, flattens the character of Asus2 noticeably. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, B, E in Asus2.
Comparing Asus2 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, sus2 against sus4: Asus2 replaces the 3rd with the 2nd B; the sus4 version replaces it with the 4th D. The sus2 sounds brighter and more open; the sus4 sounds tenser. Hearing the comparison matters more than reading it: play Asus2, then play the chord it is compared with above, and let your ear find the note that changed. On the mandolin, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Asus2.
How to play Asus2 on mandolin
On the mandolin, Asus2 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — A, B, E — in a different place on the neck. There are 3 voicings listed for Asus2 on the mandolin; learn the first, then add the others as you need them. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want Asus2 in around fret 1: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (index finger); E string open. It barres across strings 1 to 3 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 3 evenly at fret 2, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Asus2 — A, B, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want Asus2 in around fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (index finger); E string at fret 5 (middle finger). It barres across strings 1 to 3 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 3 evenly at fret 2, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Asus2 — A, B, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord puts Asus2 in around fret 1: G string at fret 2 (index finger); D string muted; A string at fret 2 (index finger); E string open. It barres across strings 1 to 3 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 3 evenly at fret 2, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Asus2 — A, B, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Asus2 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Asus2 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Asus2 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Asus2 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the mandolin, the barre chord of Asus2 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
A short practice routine for Asus2 on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above A and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Mandolin Chord Finder to see the diagram for Asus2 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Asus2 sound wrong on the mandolin, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Never resolving it. A sus2 that never moves can sound unfinished. Try resolving it to the major triad and listen to the 2nd settle into the 3rd. On the mandolin, the barre chord of Asus2 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Muting the 2nd. The 2nd B is the whole point of this chord. If the string or key carrying it is muted, the chord is just root and 5th — a power chord. On the mandolin, the barre chord of Asus2 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Overusing it. Because it is so open, a run of sus2 chords can sound vague. Use it as a colour between solid triads. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, B, E in Asus2.
Missing one string of a course. Mandolin strings come in pairs, and Asus2 needs both strings of each course to sound. If one string of a pair is muted by a neighbouring finger, the chord sounds thin. Check each course separately by plucking it on its own. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, B, E in Asus2.
Where Asus2 is used
Asus2 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of D major, the key of E major, the key of A major. a passing chord that moves easily to the triad — sus2 resolving to major is a classic gentle move. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward D major, the key a perfect fourth above A, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Asus2 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, B, E in Asus2.
Because Asus2 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain A triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Asus2 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Asus2.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Asus2 on guitar, Asus2 on piano, Asus2 on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the A major scale and the A minor pentatonic scale. Learning Asus2 on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — A, B, E — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Asus2
A short worked example makes Asus2 concrete. Play the four-chord progression D – A – Bm – G in D major, the key Asus2 most often resolves toward: D – A – Bm – G. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Asus2 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Asus2 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, B, E in Asus2.
For a second exercise, play Asus2 and then the chord a fourth above A, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Asus2 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Asus2 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: A, B, E. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the mandolin, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Asus2.
Frequently asked questions
Is Asus2 major or minor?
Neither. Asus2 has no 3rd at all — the 2nd B takes its place. That is why it sounds open and unresolved, and why it can replace either a major or a minor chord. On the mandolin, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
What does sus2 mean in Asus2?
Sus2 means the 3rd of the chord is suspended — replaced by the 2nd, B. The chord contains A, B, E, so the 2nd is the note that defines its sound. On the mandolin, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you resolve Asus2?
The usual resolution is down to the major triad: B moves to C#, the major 3rd. That small step from the 2nd to the 3rd is the classic sus2 resolution. On the mandolin, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you play Asus2 on the mandolin?
The first voicing is the barre chord: frets 2–2–2–0, fingers 1–1–1–0, on the mandolin. That voicing uses the notes A, B, E, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Asus2, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Asus2 hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Asus2 on the mandolin is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.