# C Suspended 2nd piano chord (Csus2)

Csus2 contains C, D and G. The third replaced by the second. Every note is a white key.

- Canonical page: https://piano.org/chords/suspended-2nd/c/
- Entity: chord:sus2:c
- Notes: C D G
- Formula: 1 2 5
- Intervals from root: P1, M2, P5
- Interval stack (semitones): 2 5
- Also written: Csus2, Csus2, C suspended 2nd
- Parameters: A440, 12-TET, 165 mm octave, spans centre to centre

## Construction

| Degree | Note | Interval from root | Semitones |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | C | Perfect unison | 0 |
| 2 | D | Major second | 2 |
| 5 | G | Perfect fifth | 7 |

## Fingering

Rest your right hand over the notes with finger 1 on C, finger 3 on D, finger 5 on G. The left hand mirrors it.
Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1. Source: piano.org fingering method v1.

## Inversions

| Position | Bass | Notes in order | Figured bass | Span |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Root position | C | C3 D3 G3 | 5/3 | 7 st, 96 mm |
| First inversion (Csus2/D) | D | D3 G3 C4 | 6/3 | 10 st, 138 mm |
| Second inversion (Csus2/G) | G | G3 C4 D4 | 6/4 | 7 st, 96 mm |

## Voicings (5)

| Voicing | Notes | Span | Relation | Omits or adds |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Close, root position | C3 D3 G3 | 7 st, 96 mm | identical | none |
| Close, first inversion | D3 G3 C4 | 10 st, 138 mm | identical | none |
| Close, second inversion | G3 C4 D4 | 7 st, 96 mm | identical | none |
| Open, fifth on top | C2 G2 D3 | 14 st, 193 mm | identical | none |
| Root and third only | C3 D3 | 2 st, 28 mm | subset | omits G |

## One-edit neighbors

| Becomes | Edit | Changes | Common tones |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cadd9 | 1 3 5 9 | adds E | 3 |
| C | 1 3 5 | D becomes E | 2 |
| Cm | 1 ♭3 5 | D becomes E♭ | 2 |
| Csus4 | 1 4 5 | D becomes F | 2 |
| Cmaj7 | 1 3 5 7 | D becomes E, B | 2 |
| C7 | 1 3 5 ♭7 | D becomes E, B♭ | 2 |
| Cm7 | 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 | D becomes E♭, B♭ | 2 |
| CmMaj7 | 1 ♭3 5 7 | D becomes E♭, B | 2 |
| C7sus4 | 1 4 5 ♭7 | D becomes F, B♭ | 2 |
| C6 | 1 3 5 6 | D becomes E, A | 2 |
| Cm6 | 1 ♭3 5 6 | D becomes E♭, A | 2 |
| Cdim | 1 ♭3 ♭5 | D, G becomes E♭, G♭ | 1 |

## Set theory

- Absolute pitch classes: {0, 2, 7}
- Relative pitch classes: [0, 2, 7]
- Normal order: [0, 2, 7]
- Prime form: (027)
- Forte number: 3-9
- Interval vector: <010020>

## Frequencies (close root position)

| Note | MIDI | Frequency |
| --- | --- | --- |
| C3 | 48 | 130.81 Hz |
| D3 | 50 | 146.83 Hz |
| G3 | 55 | 196.00 Hz |

## Questions and answers

### What notes are in Csus2?

Csus2 contains C, D and G. The formula is 1, 2, 5.

### How do you play Csus2 on piano?

Play C, D and G together. Right hand fingers 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1. Every note is a white key.

### What are the inversions of Csus2?

3 positions: root position C D G, Csus2/D, Csus2/G.

### What is the difference between Csus2 and Cadd9?

Adds E. 3 of the notes are shared.

### What is an easy Csus2 for small hands?

The root and third only voicing, C3 D3, spans 2 semitones or about 28 mm.

### What are the frequencies of Csus2?

From C3 at A440 in 12-TET: 130.81, 146.83, 196.00 Hz.

### What is the set class of Csus2?

Prime form (027), Forte 3-9, interval vector &lt;010020&gt;.

### How do I transpose Csus2 to another key?

Keep the 1, 2, 5 formula on the new root. C♯sus2 is C♯, D♯, G♯; D♭sus2 is D♭, E♭, A♭.

## Provenance

Every derived value above is computed by the piano.org theory kernel from the root, the quality and the stated parameters. Nothing is hand-entered per chord.

Machine record: https://piano.org/api/knowledge/v1/entities/chord:sus2:c
Last reviewed: 2026-08-12