Read left to right, 4th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the A string (1st).
- Middle finger on the 2nd fret of the C string (3rd).
- Ring finger on the 2nd fret of the E string (2nd).
- Little finger on the 3rd fret of the G string (4th).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th (G) | fret 3 | little | A♯4 | sharp fifth |
| 3rd (C) | fret 2 | middle | D4 | root |
| 2nd (E) | fret 2 | ring | F♯4 | third |
| 1st (A) | fret 1 | index | A♯4 | sharp fifth |
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 Daug
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.
- 3665A shape at the 3rd fret · four fingers
- 7665A shape at the 5th fret · four fingers
- 7-10-10-9A shape at the 7th fret · four fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
3225 is Daug 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
Press just behind each fret, not on top of it and not in the middle of the gap: that is where the least pressure gives a clean note.
The notes in Daug
A augmented chord is built from the root (1), 3 and ♯5 of its root’s major scale. From D that gives D – F♯ – A♯. 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: D major, Dm, D7, Dmaj7, Dm7, Dsus2, Dsus4, Ddim.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a Daug chord?
D augmented is three notes: D – F♯ – A♯ — the root, 3 and ♯5 of the D major scale. On ukulele the shape 3221 sounds A♯4, D4, F♯4 and A♯4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play Daug on ukulele?
The usual shape is 3221 — a shape at the 1st fret, with four fingers. If that is out of reach for now, 3225 is the same chord without the full barre.
What is the difference between Daug and D?
One note. Daug is D with its fifth raised a semitone, to A♯. 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.