Arts >> Music >> Music Basics

What Does it Mean When a Chord Has a 2 by It?

There are almost unlimited chord structures on the guitar, piano and other instruments including major, minor and seventh chords. But what does it mean when when a chord has "2" written next to it?
  1. Significance

    • Chords prefaced by the number 2 are not standard chords and "2" is not a standard chord symbol, but appears fairly often in tablature and chord charts for modern music of all genres but particularly in Christian and country music. Taking the chord of C as an example, a C2 chord means that you can play a variation on the C major chord. When you come across a C2 written on a set of sheet music, its possible to play a Cadd9, a Csus2, or even a plain C chord. Which you choose is up to you and is dependant on the one you think fits best with the piece you are playing.

    Function

    • For each chord, the significance of "2" is more or less the same. For the chord of A for example, "2" is often used to represent a possible choice between the chords Aadd2/Aadd9 or Asus2/Aadd9 depending on what sounds best and how much you like to experiment.

    Flexibility

    • In practice, "2" chords can make playing more flexible. Unless you want to sound exactly like a recording or the original of a song, "2" chords give the player a certain amount of flexibility when deciding how to play the chord.

Music Basics

Related Categories