The Faug ukulele chord is a augmented chord with the notes F, A, C#. Its first ukulele voicing is a barre chord at fret 1: G string at fret 2 (middle finger); C string at fret 1 (index finger); E string at fret 1 (index finger); A string open. Whether you are learning it for the first time or checking a voicing, this page has the notes, the ukulele fingerings, the inversions and alternatives, and the progressions it appears in.
What notes are in the Faug chord?
The Faug chord is a augmented chord, and its notes are fixed: F, A, C#. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root F, so you can see the structure of Faug at a glance. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F, A, C# in Faug.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| F | Root |
| A | 3 |
| C# | #5 |
The root is F, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Faug are 3, #5. Those intervals are the fingerprint of the augmented quality — any chord with the same interval pattern, on any root, is the same kind of chord. On the ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Faug sounds exotic and tense, the sound of a chord that can resolve in several directions at once. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Faug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Comparing Faug with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, augmented against major: both have the major 3rd A, but Faug raises the 5th to C# instead of the perfect 5th C, and that one change removes the chord's sense of home. Hearing the comparison matters more than reading it: play Faug, then play the chord it is compared with above, and let your ear find the note that changed. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Faug.
How to play Faug on ukulele
On the ukulele, Faug has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — F, A, C# — in a different place on the neck. The first voicing below is the one to learn first, and the alternatives cover the rest of the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want Faug in open position: G string at fret 2 (middle finger); C string at fret 1 (index finger); E string at fret 1 (index finger); A string open. It barres across strings 2 to 3 at fret 1 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 2 to 3 evenly at fret 1, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Faug — F, A, C# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play Faug is the movable voicing, in around fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); C string at fret 5 (ring finger); E string at fret 5 (ring finger); A string at fret 4 (middle finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 2 to fret 5, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Faug — F, A, C# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord puts Faug in open position: G string at fret 2 (middle finger); C string at fret 1 (index finger); E string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 4 (ring finger). It barres across strings 2 to 3 at fret 1 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 2 to 3 evenly at fret 1, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Faug — F, A, C# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Faug is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Faug up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Faug that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Faug from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Faug.
A short practice routine for Faug on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above F and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for Faug while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Faug sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Resolving it nowhere. Because it is symmetrical, Faug can resolve in several directions, but it must resolve somewhere. Pick a destination chord and practise the move. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Faug.
Confusing it with a whole-tone sound. The augmented triad is part of the whole-tone scale, but on its own it is just three notes: F, A, C#. Do not add extra whole-tone notes unless you mean to. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Faug.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on Faug pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Faug.
Playing a perfect 5th. If the 5th is C the chord is just major. The sharpened 5th C# is the whole point of the augmented chord. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F, A, C# in Faug.
Where Faug is used
Faug is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of C major, the key of F major, the key of A# major. a passing chord that creates chromatic lift, often between a major chord and its IV. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward A# major, the key a perfect fourth above F, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Faug does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Faug.
Because Faug is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain F triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Faug in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Faug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Faug on guitar, Faug on piano, Faug on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the F major scale and the F minor pentatonic scale. Learning Faug on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — F, A, C# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Faug
A short worked example makes Faug concrete. Play the four-chord progression A# – F – Gm – D# in A# major, the key Faug most often resolves toward: A# – F – Gm – D#. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Faug sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Faug itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Faug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
For a second exercise, play Faug and then the chord a fourth above F, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Faug is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Faug on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: F, A, C#. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Faug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in Faug?
Faug contains F, A, C#: the root F, the major 3rd A and the augmented 5th C#. The raised 5th is the note that makes it augmented. On the ukulele, check the first voicing above for that note.
Where is Faug used?
As a passing chord between a major chord and the chord a semitone above it, and as an altered dominant in jazz. It is a colour chord, used briefly for lift and surprise. On the ukulele, check the first voicing above for that note.
How do you play Faug on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the barre chord: frets 2–1–1–0, fingers 2–1–1–0, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes F, A, C#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Faug, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Faug hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Faug on the ukulele is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of Faug on the ukulele?
The barre chord is the easiest voicing listed for Faug on the ukulele: frets 2–1–1–0, fingers 2–1–1–0. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.