Dominant 7th sus2
7sus2
0 - 2 - 7 - 10Sus2 + minor 7th
About Dominant 7th sus2
A dominant seventh sus2 chord replaces the third of a dominant seventh with the second — in C that is C, D, G and B♭, written C7sus2. Like every suspended chord it is neither major nor minor, and unlike most of them it carries a flattened seventh, which gives it the openness of a sus chord and the forward lean of a dominant at once.
Notes and formula
The formula is 1 – 2 – 5 – ♭7, or 0 – 2 – 7 – 10 in semitones. The third is absent, the second stands in its place, and the seventh is minor.
Because there is no third, there is no tritone, and the chord does not pull the way a plain dominant seventh does. What remains is a stack of consonances with a seventh on top — stable enough to hold, coloured enough not to sound plain.
The chord it shares its notes with
Rearranged from B♭, the notes are B♭–C–D–G: a B♭ six-nine chord with its fifth left out. That is how arrangers voice it — a bright, rootless-sounding stack placed over a C in the bass — and it explains why the chord sounds nothing like the dominant its symbol claims.
For a guitarist the simpler route is the sus2 shape with a seventh added, rather than a dominant shape with the third removed. The fingering follows from the first idea and fights the second.
How to play it
On guitar the movable form is x–3–0–3–1–3, sounding C–D–B♭–C–G. It grows out of the open Csus2 shape with the third string fretted to add the seventh.
On piano the plain form is C–D–G–B♭, and it tolerates close voicing well: the second sits a whole tone from the root rather than a semitone, so nothing grates.
Where it appears
In folk and rock guitar writing, where a dominant chord is wanted but the third would make the harmony too definite. In gospel and soul it appears as a lighter alternative to 7sus4.
It is rarer than 7sus4 for a reason: the fourth in a suspended dominant leans toward the third below it, and that lean is what players want from a suspension. The second does not lean, so the chord stays where it is.
Sus2, sus4 and the dominant family
C7sus4 is C–F–G–B♭ and resolves inward when the fourth falls to the third. C7sus2 is C–D–G–B♭ and does not resolve at all.
Both are dominants by spelling and neither contains a tritone, which is why both can stand for a whole bar without becoming impatient. If the chart is asking for tension, it wants sus4.
Scales that contain it
Mixolydian fits and is the default. With no third in the chord, Dorian works equally well, and the choice decides whether the passage sounds major or minor without any change to the harmony.
That ambiguity is the practical value of the chord: it lets an arrangement move between major and minor without a chord change.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a C7sus2 chord?
C, D, G and B♭. It has no third, so it is neither major nor minor.
How is 7sus2 different from 7sus4?
Which note replaces the third. Sus2 uses D and sounds open and static; sus4 uses F, leans toward the third below it, and is the one gospel and pop reach for.
Does it need to resolve?
No. Without a third there is no tritone, so nothing in the chord demands a destination. It can hold for a whole section.