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D♭ suspended 2nd chord on piano

D♭sus2 is a suspended 2nd chord built on D♭. It uses the notes D♭ - E♭ - A♭ and sounds open and airy, neither major nor minor. It is also written as C♯ suspended 2nd.

D♭ suspended 2nd chord keyboard diagram: D♭, E♭, A♭D♭E♭A♭
Notes
D♭ E♭ A♭
Formula
1 - 2 - 5
Right hand fingering
1 - 3 - 5
Left hand fingering
5 - 3 - 1
Chord symbol
D♭sus2

How to play D♭sus2 step by step

  1. Find D♭. D♭ is the first black key in each group of two. The same key is also called C♯.
  2. Add E♭, 2 half steps above D♭.
  3. Add A♭, 7 half steps above D♭.
  4. Press all 3 keys together with fingers 1 - 3 - 5 of your right hand. Keep your wrist level and let the weight of your arm do the work.

D♭sus2 inversions

An inversion uses the same notes in a different order. Inversions let your hand move less between chords, which is how pianists make chord changes sound smooth.

D♭sus2 Root position: D♭, E♭, A♭D♭E♭A♭
Root positionD♭ - E♭ - A♭
D♭sus2 1st inversion: E♭, A♭, D♭E♭A♭D♭
1st inversionE♭ - A♭ - D♭
D♭sus2 2nd inversion: A♭, D♭, E♭A♭D♭E♭
2nd inversionA♭ - D♭ - E♭

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the D♭ suspended 2nd chord?

The D♭ suspended 2nd chord (D♭sus2) contains 3 notes: D♭, E♭, A♭. Its formula is 1 - 2 - 5.

How do you play D♭sus2 on piano?

Put your right-hand thumb on D♭ and play D♭, E♭, A♭ together using fingers 1 - 3 - 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 - 3 - 1.

Is D♭ suspended 2nd the same as C♯ suspended 2nd?

Yes. D♭ suspended 2nd and C♯ suspended 2nd use exactly the same piano keys. The name you see depends on the key signature of the piece.

Other D♭ chords

Other suspended 2nd chords