Arpeggio quality
7sus2
The dominant suspended second chord combines the open sus2 shape with a minor seventh, so the tension is doubled: no third to define the chord's colour, and a seventh that pulls toward resolution. It sounds modern and slightly unresolved, like a dominant chord that has not decided which way to go. Funk, fusion and contemporary gospel use it over static grooves where the harmony can stay suspended for bars at a time. The second and the seventh together give the chord a wide, hollow ring. Listen for the seventh underneath the suspended second — the two together are what keep the chord moving without a third.
- Formula
- 1 2 5 ♭7
- Notes
- C♯ D♯ G♯ B
- Family
- Sus
Notation in C♯
representative keyFretboard — frets 0–12
All 17 keys
open a key →Same family
How to practise this arpeggio
- Play the second and seventh together and listen for the hollow ring.
- Loop it over a static funk groove and avoid adding a third.
- Compare it with sus2 and hear what the seventh contributes.
- Improvise over the vamp using the second as a target note.