Read left to right, 6th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string, x is a string you do not play.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the A string (5th).
- Middle finger on the 2nd fret of the low E string (6th).
- Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the G string (3rd).
- Little finger on the 3rd fret of the B string (2nd).
- Let the D string ring open.
- Stop the strum before the high E string, or let the underside of a fretting finger rest on it to keep it quiet.
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th (low E) | fret 2 | middle | F♯2 | root |
| 5th (A) | fret 1 | index | A♯2 | third |
| 4th (D) | open | — | C𝄪3 | sharp fifth |
| 3rd (G) | fret 3 | ring | A♯3 | third |
| 2nd (B) | fret 3 | little | C𝄪4 | sharp fifth |
| 1st (high E) | not played | — | — | — |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
3 other ways to play F♯aug
The same 3 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- xx4776A shape at the 4th fret · four fingers
- x-9-8-7-7-10A barre at the 7th fret and three more fingers
- x-9-0-11-11-10A shape at the 9th fret · four fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
xx433x is F♯aug without the full barre — fewer strings, the same chord. It is a real voicing, not a cheat, and plenty of players keep using it.
Holding it cleanly
One string rings open next to fretted ones. Arch the fingers so they come down on their tips — a finger lying flat will deaden the open string beside it, and the chord loses a note without sounding obviously wrong.
The notes in F♯aug
A augmented chord is built from the root (1), 3 and ♯5 of its root’s major scale. From F♯ that gives F♯ – A♯ – C𝄪 (D). A major chord with its fifth raised a semitone. Its three notes are evenly spaced, so any of them can be the root.
The same root, other chords: F♯ major, F♯m, F♯7, F♯maj7, F♯m7, F♯sus2, F♯sus4, F♯dim.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a F♯aug chord?
F♯ augmented is three notes: F♯ – A♯ – C𝄪 (D) — the root, 3 and ♯5 of the F♯ major scale. On guitar the shape 21033x sounds F♯2, A♯2, C𝄪3, A♯3 and C𝄪4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play F♯aug on guitar?
The usual shape is 21033x — an open-position shape, with four fingers. If that is out of reach for now, xx433x is the same chord without the full barre.
Is F♯aug the same chord as G♭aug?
Yes — on guitar they are the same frets and the same sound. F♯ and G♭ are two names for one pitch, and which name a songbook prints depends on the key: a piece in a sharp key writes F♯aug, a piece in a flat key writes G♭aug.
What is the difference between F♯aug and F♯?
One note. F♯aug is F♯ with its fifth raised a semitone, to C𝄪. The three notes are then exactly four semitones apart, so the chord has no clear root and sounds as if it is about to move — usually up, to the chord a fourth above.