Dsus2 is a D chord with one note swapped. The F# that makes D major goes away, and E, the second, takes its place. On the guitar that means lifting one finger off the D shape and letting the high E ring open. What you get is a chord that is neither major nor minor: bright, airy, waiting to go somewhere. It is one of the cheapest ways to make a strummed accompaniment sound less like a beginner's.
Dsus2 chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: D suspended second
- Symbol: Dsus2
- Notes: D, E, A
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dsus2, open | xx0230 | D A D E | The standard shape: two fingers, and the open high E gives the E that replaces the third. |
| Dsus2, with the open A | x00230 | A D A D E | Same fingers, one more string. A sits in the bass, so it sounds wider and less rooted. Handy when you strum hard. |
| Dsus2, fifth fret | x57755 | D A D E A | The Asus2 shape barred at the fifth fret. No open strings, so it moves to any root on the A string. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
Dsus2 on the neck: every D, E, A
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Dsus2: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Dsus2.
How to play Dsus2
- First finger on the G string, second fret.
- Third finger on the B string, third fret.
- D string and high E string open.
- Strum from the D string down. The low E is out; the A string can ring if you want a fuller sound, as in the second shape above.
Then pick the strings one at a time and listen for the last one. The open high E is the note that makes the chord a Dsus2. If it is muted, the third finger is leaning on it: arch the finger so it comes down on the B string from above.
D, Dm, Dsus2, Dsus4: one string, four colors
The four chords share the open D, the A on the G string and the D on the B string. Only the high E changes, and with it the character of the chord.
| Chord | Shape | Notes | Top note |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | xx0232 | D, F#, A | F#, the major third |
| Dm | xx0231 | D, F, A | F, the minor third |
| Dsus2 | xx0230 | D, E, A | E, the second |
| Dsus4 | xx0233 | D, G, A | G, the fourth |
Play the four in turn and sing the top note. That is the best ear exercise this family offers: you hear exactly what a third does by hearing it disappear. The D minor chord and the Dsus4 chord each have their own page.
Using Dsus2 in a song
Dsus2 rarely replaces D for a whole song. It decorates it: a beat or two of sus2 inside a bar of D, and the accompaniment starts to move without the chord changing. Practice these slowly, keeping the strum even while the fretting hand changes color.
| Loop | Shapes | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| D, Dsus2, D | xx0232, xx0230, xx0232 | Only the second finger moves, on and off the high E. |
| Dsus2, Dm | xx0230, xx0231 | The top note drops from E to F: listen for the shift to minor. |
| Dsus2, D, Dsus4, D | xx0230, xx0232, xx0233, xx0232 | The top note climbs E, F#, G and falls back to F#. |
| D, Dsus2, G, A | xx0232, xx0230, 320003, x02220 | I, IV, V in D, with a breath inside the first chord. |
To hear Dsus2 as part of a real chord chart, Radiohead's Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was uses it alongside Am7, C, G and B. Strum ideas to put under these loops are on the strumming patterns page.
Common Dsus2 mistakes
- The low E rings. E is in the chord, but low E under D sounds muddy and turns the chord upside down. Start the strum on the D string, or on the A string at most.
- The high E is choked. It is the note that makes the chord. Arch the third finger and keep the palm away from the neck.
- It turns back into D. Out of habit, the second finger lands on the high E at fret 2. Practice D to Dsus2 slowly until lifting it becomes automatic.
- It gets confused with Dadd9. Dadd9 keeps F#. If you hear a clear major sound, you are not playing a sus2. The Dadd9 chord page shows the difference.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Dsus2 on guitar?
What notes are in Dsus2?
Is Dsus2 major or minor?
What is the difference between Dsus2 and Dadd9?
Which strings do I play on Dsus2?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.