Dots (•) indicate on-scale fret positions. Open strings are also always on scale with these patterns.
| String | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | • | • | • | ||
| A | • | • | |||
| F | • | ||||
| D | • | ||||
| A | • | • | |||
| D | • | • | • |
My favorite! D minor, or an E minor with a capo on second. Use index finger and pinkie finger on the bright A string, and then middle finger and ringer finger on middle D and on F respectively. Great pattern because you don’t have to dip into the bass strings for the root note.
| String | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | • | • | • | ||
| A | • | • | |||
| F | • | ||||
| D | • | ||||
| A | • | • | |||
| D | • | • | • |
| String | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | • | • | • | ||
| A | • | • | |||
| F | • | ||||
| D | • | ||||
| A | • | • | |||
| D | • | • | • |
A zero indicates no capo. A number followed by a suit indicator indicates a capo at that fret and which fretting pattern to use.
| signature | capo+pattern |
|---|---|
| ♮ | 0♦,2♣ |
| ♭ | 0♥︎,5♦ |
| ♯ | 2♥︎ |
| ♭♭ | 0♣,5♥︎ |
| ♯♯ | 2♦,4♣ |
| ♭♭♭ | 3♦,5♣ |
| ♯♯♯ | 4♥︎ |
| ♭♭♭♭ | 3♥︎ |
| ♯♯♯♯ | 4♦,6♣ |
| ♭♭♭♭♭ | 1♦,3♣ |
| ♯♯♯♯♯ | 1♣,6♥︎ |
| ♭♭♭♭♭♭/♯♯♯♯♯♯ | 1♥︎, 6♦ |
When there are alternatives, use the lower capo number for a fuller sound or the higher capo number for a brighter sound.
You can additionally put a partial capo on the bass strings (or retune them).
| capo | ♦ | ♥︎ | ♣ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ♮ | ♭ | ♭♭ |
| 1 | ♭♭♭♭♭ | ♭♭♭♭♭♭/♯♯♯♯♯♯ | ♯♯♯♯♯ |
| 2 | ♯♯ | ♯ | ♮ |
| 3 | ♭♭♭ | ♭♭♭♭ | ♭♭♭♭♭ |
| 4 | ♯♯♯♯ | ♯♯♯ | ♯♯ |
| 5 | ♭ | ♭♭ | ♭♭♭ |
| 6 | ♭♭♭♭♭♭/♯♯♯♯♯♯ | ♯♯♯♯♯ | ♯♯♯♯ |
If you have an easy means of tuning the F to F♯, you can also take a look at Guitar fretting patterns with DADF♯AD tuning for three more patterns.