Caug C augmented chord
- Notes
- C E G#
- Formula
- 1 3 #5
- Semitones
- 0 4 8 above the root
- Other symbols
- C+, C(#5)
C to E is a major third (4 semitones), E to G# 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 Eaug and Abaug (also written G#aug).
Caug on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, E4, G#4. Middle C is C4.
Caug 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 C as its lowest note.
x 3 6 5 5 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G#3 C4 E4 G#4
8 x 10 9 9 x (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 C4 E4 G#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.
Caug 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.
1003 (G C E A)
Sounds G#4 C4 E4 C5
5443 (G C E A)
Sounds C5 E4 G#4 C5
Lowest note E4, so the chord finder reads it as Eaug.
Inversions of Caug
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 | C E G# | Caug | |
| 1st inversion | E G# C | Eaug (also read as Caug/E) | |
| 2nd inversion | G# C E | Abaug (also written G#aug; also read as Caug/G#) |
Where Caug fits
Caug is III+ in A minor. It also appears as a passing chord between C and C6 or between C and the IV chord, where the raised fifth G# climbs one half step at a time.