D augmented chord on guitar (Daug)

Daug is D, F♯ and A♯. The usual shape is x-5-4-3-3-x. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

x-5-4-3-3-x · movable · medium

Notes: D · F♯ · A♯
Formula: 1 · 3 · ♯5
First shape: x-5-4-3-3-x

How to play Daug on guitar

Shape 1, x-5-4-3-3-x, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 3rd fret:

Put your index finger on the G string at the 3rd fret, which is A♯.
Put your middle finger on the B string at the 3rd fret, which is D.
Put your ring finger on the D string at the 4th fret, which is F♯.
Put your pinky finger on the A string at the 5th fret, which is D.
Mute the low E and high E strings with the side of a finger so they don't ring.

Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
Aim the strum at the thinner strings only; the lower ones are marked × for a reason.

Other ways to play Daug

x-x-12-11-11-10: movable shape at the 10th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.
10-9-8-7-7-x: partial barre shape at the 7th fret, medium. Higher up the neck it sounds brighter; handy when another guitar is already playing a lower shape.

Daug the capo way

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 2nd fret and play the open Caug shape (x-3-2-1-1-0). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

Daug chord changes

The chords Daug usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

G (the raised fifth pushes up into the IV): Daug (x-5-4-3-3-x) to G (3-2-0-0-0-3): move the index finger to the A string, 2nd fret, move the middle finger to the low E string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the high E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. D carries over from one chord to the other. G on guitar
A (V in D major): Daug (x-5-4-3-3-x) to A (x-0-2-2-2-0): the index finger goes to the D string, 2nd fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the B string, 2nd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. A on guitar
Bm (vi in D major): Daug (x-5-4-3-3-x) to Bm (x-2-4-4-3-2): your middle and ring fingers stay put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the pinky finger goes to the G string, 4th fret. The two chords share D and F♯, which is why the change sounds smooth. Bm on guitar

Daug is an augmented triad: two major thirds stacked, with a raised fifth. Daug is a stepping stone: it often moves on to the IV chord, with the raised fifth rising one more half step. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Getting Daug under your fingers

Before strumming, play x-5-4-3-3-x note by note: D then F♯ then A♯ then D. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate x-5-4-3-3-x and x-x-12-11-11-10, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Where Daug shows up

Daug on piano and ukulele

Daug on piano and ukulele uses the same 3 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Close to Daug

Other augmented chords

Daug on guitar: questions

What notes are in Daug on guitar?

D, F♯ and A♯. In the x-5-4-3-3-x shape the strings play D (A string), F♯ (D string), A♯ (G string) and D (B string), so D is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play Daug on guitar?

In standard tuning Daug can't use open strings. Begin with x-5-4-3-3-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is Daug a barre chord on guitar?

Not usually: x-5-4-3-3-x needs no barre.

Which string does Daug start on?

In the x-5-4-3-3-x shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 5th fret, which is D, the root. Skip the low E and high E strings.

Every shape above plays only D, F♯ and A♯, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.