Bsus2 Chord on Ukulele
Bsus2 = B – C# – F# (Root, Major 2nd, Perfect 5th)
Bsus2 pulls the third out of B major and drops in a major second, C#, in its place, turning B-D#-F# into B-C#-F#. The ukulele shape spreads across the neck more than B major does: the index finger takes the C string's first fret, a small barre with the middle finger covers the E and A strings at the second fret, and the pinky reaches up to the G string's fourth fret — four separate contact points rather than B major's barre-plus-two-fingers arrangement.
With no third present, Bsus2 doesn't settle into major or minor, giving it an open, slightly unresolved character that composers reach for when they want color without committing to a mood. It functions as a suspension that wants to move somewhere — sliding the C# note up a whole step to D# resolves it into B major, while moving it up only a half-step to D resolves it into Bm instead, making the chord a genuine pivot point rather than a fixed destination. In practice, Bsus2 shows up most often as a brief held color right before B major lands as the V chord in the key of E, adding a beat of ambiguity to that already-common cadence. Because none of its notes are shared with an open string, Bsus2 is one of the more physically demanding sus2 voicings covered across this whole set of chords, closer in feel to a fully fretted chord than to the airier sus2 shapes built lower on the neck.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Build the barre across the E and A strings at the second fret first, then add the index finger on the C string's first fret, and finally the pinky's reach up to the G string's fourth fret last, since it's the widest stretch in the shape. Check that the index finger's lower note isn't accidentally brushing the open G string that sits just below it before the pinky's reach engages. Because this chord's whole function is to resolve, practice sliding the index finger from the C string's first fret up two frets to the third, which turns the shape into B major, as one likely motion to follow this chord in real playing. It's also worth practicing the alternate resolution toward Bm, which needs only a single-fret slide of that same finger, from the first fret to the second, since either direction is a genuinely common outcome for this suspension.
Common Progressions
- Vsus2 – V, resolving inside a dominant cadence (Bsus2 – B, in the key of E)
- Isus2 – I, in the key of B itself (Bsus2 – B)
- IVsus2 – IV, in the key of F# (Bsus2 – B, functioning as IV)
- Bsus2 pivots toward either B major or Bm depending on how the suspension resolves.
FAQ
- What note does sus2 replace in B major?
- The third, D#, is replaced by C#, a major second above the root, requiring a fretted note on the C string rather than an open one, unlike some other sus2 chords lower on the neck.
- Does Bsus2 resolve toward major or minor?
- Either, depending on how the suspended note moves — sliding it up a whole step to D# produces B major, while moving it up just a half-step to D produces Bm instead, making the chord genuinely ambiguous until it resolves.
- Why does Bsus2 need four separate fingers?
- Its four notes spread across four different strings at three different frets, with no shortcut from an open string, making it a wider stretch overall than the plain B major triad.
- Where does Bsus2 typically appear in a progression?
- Most often as a brief held color right before B major resolves as the V chord in the key of E, adding a beat of suspension to that common cadence.
- Is the move from Bsus2 to B major a bigger jump than from Bsus2 to Bm?
- Yes — resolving to B major needs a two-fret slide on the C string, from the first fret to the third, while resolving to Bm needs only a single fret, which is part of why the two resolutions feel different even though both start from the same suspended shape.
- Why does Bsus2's ambiguity make it useful for songwriters even though it's a less common chord?
- Precisely because it postpones a harmonic decision — holding a chord that hasn't yet committed to major or minor lets a melody or lyric land on an emotionally open moment before the accompaniment finally resolves one way or the other.
Bsus2 on other instruments: Bsus2 on Guitar, Bsus2 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.