Where to capo for F# Aeolian
Put the capo at fret 2 and play F# Aeolian using E Aeolian shapes. That is the easiest of the eight positions ranked below, and it is what most players reach for. Against playing F# Aeolian open, it drops the mean difficulty of the key's seven chords from 4.3 to 3.4 and gains 5 ringing open strings.
You want F#. Capo 2 and play in E.
All eight positions, ranked
Each row transposes F# Aeolian down by that many frets to find the shapes your hand would actually make, then scores the best voicing of all seven chords — fewer fingers, less stretch, closer to the nut, fewer muted strings. Lower is easier. Standard tuning (E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4).
| Capo | Shapes you play | Open strings | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | E Aeolian | 19 | 3.4 |
| 7 | B Aeolian | 19 | 3.9 |
| None | F# Aeolian | 14 | 4.3 |
| 5 | C# Aeolian | 10 | 4.4 |
| 4 | D Aeolian | 15 | 4.7 |
| 3 | D# Aeolian | 3 | 5.6 |
| 6 | B# Aeolian | 4 | 5.6 |
| 1 | E# Aeolian | 2 | 6.2 |
What you are playing
The seven chords of F# Aeolian are F#m, G#dim, A, Bm, C#m, D, E — the ones the ranking above is scored against. Their diagrams are on the F# Aeolian key page.