C♯sus2 chord on guitar

C♯sus2 is C♯, D♯ and G♯. The usual shape is x-4-6-6-4-4, a barre at the 4th fret. Tap Play, then slow it down.

x-4-6-6-4-4 · barre · medium

Notes: C♯ · D♯ · G♯
Formula: 1 · 2 · 5
First shape: x-4-6-6-4-4

How to play C♯sus2 on guitar

Shape 1, x-4-6-6-4-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

Index finger lies flat over the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string, just behind the 4th fret wire.
G♯: middle finger, 6th fret of the D string.
C♯: ring finger, 6th fret of the G string.
Strum from the A string down; the low E string stays silent.

Check the barre one string at a time. A dead string under the index finger usually means the finger has drifted away from the fret wire.

Other ways to play C♯sus2

x-4-1-1-2-x: movable shape, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
x-x-11-8-9-9: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.
x-x-11-13-14-11: movable shape at the 11th fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.

Capo shortcuts for C♯sus2

A capo turns an open chord into C♯sus2: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Csus2 shape (x-3-0-0-3-3) or capo on the 4th fret and play the open Asus2 shape (x-0-2-2-0-0). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Changing from C♯sus2 to the chords around it

The chords C♯sus2 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

C♯ (resolves up to the third): C♯sus2 (x-4-6-6-4-4) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): your middle and ring fingers stay put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 6th fret. The two chords share C♯ and G♯, which is why the change sounds smooth. C♯ on guitar
F♯ (IV in D♭ major): C♯sus2 (x-4-6-6-4-4) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 4th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the D string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. C♯ carries over from one chord to the other. F♯ on guitar
A♭ (V in D♭ major): C♯sus2 (x-4-6-6-4-4) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 5th fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 6th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the D string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. D♯ and G♯ carry over from one chord to the other. A♭ on guitar

C♯sus2 replaces the third with the second, so it is neither major nor minor. The open second in C♯sus2 usually rises to the third, so play C♯sus2 then C♯ and listen for it to settle. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

A short C♯sus2 drill

Arpeggiate x-4-6-6-4-4 from the lowest string: C♯, G♯, C♯, D♯, G♯. Then strum it and listen for the same 5 notes together. Then switch to x-4-1-1-2-x and back four times without looking at your hand.

You may also see it as D♭sus2; nothing changes on the guitar.

Keys and progressions with C♯sus2

C♯sus2 on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try C♯sus2 on ukulele or C♯sus2 on piano, or compare them on the C♯sus2 chord page.

Related C♯ chords on guitar

Other suspended second chords

C♯sus2 on guitar: questions

What notes are in C♯sus2 on guitar?

C♯, D♯ and G♯. In the x-4-6-6-4-4 shape the strings play C♯ (A string), G♯ (D string), C♯ (G string), D♯ (B string) and G♯ (high E string), so C♯ and G♯ are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play C♯sus2 on guitar?

In standard tuning C♯sus2 can't use open strings. Begin with x-4-1-1-2-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is C♯sus2 a barre chord on guitar?

Usually, yes. x-4-6-6-4-4 has your index finger across the 4th fret. The barre-free alternative is x-4-1-1-2-x.

Which string does C♯sus2 start on?

In the x-4-6-6-4-4 shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 4th fret, which is C♯, the root. Skip the low E string.

Every shape above plays only C♯, D♯ and G♯, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.