How they are built
| Chord | Symbol | Formula | Example | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augmented triad | aug, + | 1 – 3 – ♯5 | Caug: C – E – G♯ | not among the basic chords of any major or natural minor key |
| Major triad (for comparison) | (letter alone) | 1 – 3 – 5 | C: C – E – G | I, IV and V in major keys |
Why there are only four augmented chords
An augmented chord is two major 3rds stacked (4 + 4 semitones), and the gap from the top note back up to the root is also 4 semitones. So it splits the octave into three equal steps, and any of its notes can be the root. That gives only four different augmented chords, each with three names:
- C, E and A♭
- C♯, F and A
- D, F♯ and B♭
- E♭, G and B
On guitar this means one augmented shape moved up 4 frets plays the same chord again.
On every root: names and notes
| aug | major |
|---|---|
| Caug C E G♯ | C C E G |
| C♯aug C♯ E♯ G𝄪 | D♭ D♭ F A♭ |
| Daug D F♯ A♯ | D D F♯ A |
| E♭aug E♭ G B | E♭ E♭ G B♭ |
| Eaug E G♯ B♯ | E E G♯ B |
| Faug F A C♯ | F F A C |
| F♯aug F♯ A♯ C𝄪 | G♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ |
| Gaug G B D♯ | G G B D |
| A♭aug A♭ C E | G♯ G♯ B♯ D♯ |
| Aaug A C♯ E♯ | A A C♯ E |
| B♭aug B♭ D F♯ | B♭ B♭ D F |
| Baug B D♯ F𝄪 | B B D♯ F♯ |
Augmented chords on guitar
Augmented chords on piano
Augmented chords on ukulele
-
Caug
1003
-
C♯aug D♭aug
2110
-
Daug
3221
-
E♭aug D♯aug
0332
-
Eaug
1003
-
Faug
2110
-
F♯aug G♭aug
3221
-
Gaug
0332
-
A♭aug G♯aug
1003
-
Aaug
2110
-
B♭aug A♯aug
3221
-
Baug
0332
See also: the guitar chord chart, the piano chord chart, the ukulele chord chart, the chord builder and the chord identifier.