If you want to play Esus2 on the ukulele, start with its notes: E, F#, B. Its first ukulele voicing is a barre chord at fret 2: G string muted; C string at fret 4 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (index finger). This is a suspended 2nd chord, and the sections below take you from the notes table to real fingerings, common mistakes and the musical contexts where Esus2 sounds right.
What notes are in the Esus2 chord?
The Esus2 chord is a suspended 2nd chord, and its notes are fixed: E, F#, B. 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 E, so you can see the structure of Esus2 at a glance. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Esus2.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| E | Root |
| F# | 2 |
| B | 5 |
The root is E, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Esus2 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 ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Esus2 sounds bright and spacious, the 2nd ({second}) replacing the 3rd so the chord sounds modern and clean. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, F#, B in Esus2.
Comparing Esus2 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, sus2 against sus4: Esus2 replaces the 3rd with the 2nd F#; the sus4 version replaces it with the 4th A. The sus2 sounds brighter and more open; the sus4 sounds tenser. Play both chords slowly, one after the other, and notice which note moves. Naming that note out loud while you play is the fastest way to learn the difference. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Esus2 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play Esus2 on ukulele
On the ukulele, Esus2 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — E, F#, B — in a different place on the neck. There are 3 voicings listed for Esus2 on the ukulele; 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.
Another way to play Esus2 is the barre chord, in around fret 2: G string muted; C string at fret 4 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (index finger). It barres across strings 3 to 4 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 3 to 4 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 Esus2 — E, F#, B — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want Esus2 in around fret 2: G string at fret 4 (middle finger); C string at fret 4 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (index finger). It barres across strings 3 to 4 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 3 to 4 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 Esus2 — E, F#, B — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing puts Esus2 in around fret 6: G string at fret 9 (ring finger); C string at fret 6 (index finger); E string at fret 7 (middle finger); A string at fret 7 (middle finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 6 to fret 9, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Esus2 — E, F#, B — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Esus2 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 Esus2 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Esus2 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Esus2 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Esus2 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
A short practice routine for Esus2 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above E 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 Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for Esus2 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 Esus2 sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
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 ukulele, the barre chord of Esus2 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on Esus2 pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, F#, B in Esus2.
Treating it as a major chord. Esus2 has no 3rd, so it is neither major nor minor. If you add G# you have changed the chord entirely. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, F#, B in Esus2.
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 ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Esus2.
Where Esus2 is used
Esus2 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 E major, the key of A major, the key of B major. a colour chord that can stand in for major or minor, since it contains neither 3rd. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward A major, the key a perfect fourth above E, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Esus2 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Esus2.
Because Esus2 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 E 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 Esus2 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Esus2.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Esus2 on guitar, Esus2 on piano, Esus2 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the E major scale and the E minor pentatonic scale. Learning Esus2 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — E, F#, B — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Esus2
A short worked example makes Esus2 concrete. Play the four-chord progression A – E – F#m – D in A major, the key Esus2 most often resolves toward: A – E – F#m – D. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Esus2 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 Esus2 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Esus2.
For a second exercise, play Esus2 and then the chord a fourth above E, 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 Esus2 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Esus2 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: E, F#, B. 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 ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Esus2.
Frequently asked questions
What does sus2 mean in Esus2?
Sus2 means the 3rd of the chord is suspended — replaced by the 2nd, F#. The chord contains E, F#, B, so the 2nd is the note that defines its sound. On the ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you resolve Esus2?
The usual resolution is down to the major triad: F# moves to G#, the major 3rd. That small step from the 2nd to the 3rd is the classic sus2 resolution. On the ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you play Esus2 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the barre chord: frets x–4–2–2, fingers 0–2–1–1, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes E, F#, B, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Esus2, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Esus2 hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Esus2 on the ukulele 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.
What is the easiest voicing of Esus2 on the ukulele?
The barre chord is the easiest voicing listed for Esus2 on the ukulele: frets x–4–2–2, fingers 0–2–1–1. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.