Aaug A augmented chord
- Notes
- A C# E#
- Formula
- 1 3 #5
- Semitones
- 0 4 8 above the root
- Other symbols
- A+, A(#5)
A to C# is a major third (4 semitones), C# to E# is a major third (4 semitones). Two major thirds stacked, which splits the octave into three equal parts. The same three keys make an augmented chord on each of its notes, which is why its inversions read as Dbaug (also written C#aug) and Faug.
Aaug on the piano
Root position from A4: A4, C#5, E#5. Middle C is C4.
Aaug on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has A as its lowest note.
x 0 3 2 2 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds A2 E#3 A3 C#4 E#4
5 x 7 6 6 x (low E to high e)
Sounds A2 A3 C#4 E#4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play augmented chords on other roots.
Aaug on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
2110 (G C E A)
Sounds A4 C#4 E#4 A4
Lowest note C#4, so the chord finder reads it as Dbaug.
2114 (G C E A)
Sounds A4 C#4 E#4 C#5
Lowest note C#4, so the chord finder reads it as Dbaug.
Inversions of Aaug
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | A C# E# | Aaug | |
| 1st inversion | C# E# A | Dbaug (also written C#aug; also read as Aaug/C#) | |
| 2nd inversion | E# A C# | Faug |
Where Aaug fits
Aaug is III+ in F# minor. It also appears as a passing chord between A and A6 or between A and the IV chord, where the raised fifth E# climbs one half step at a time.