Augmented chords are another useful chord to have in our repertoire because it can be used in a wide range of situations. You will have no doubt heard the augmented sound as it is used in many famous pop songs. For jazz musicians, the augmented chord is also very important because it helps to introduce the #5 sound, which is very common in jazz.
Here on this page, we will explain the basic theory of augmented chords, including how to construct augmented chords and we will also show you how you can start incorporating the augmented chord sound into your music. And to do this more effectively, we will be covering augmented chords from a pop music perspective AND a jazz based perspective.
C MAJOR TRIAD
C AUGMENTED
We will be covering these augmented chords:
Augmented
Augmented 7th
* We will also be discussing how to play augmented chords and how to resolve them *
Augmented Chords
Constructing an augmented chord is actually very simple. We start with a basic major triad, which is made up of the 1-3-5 of the major scale (C-E-G) and then raise the 5th note so that it becomes a #5 (G#). The #5 note is what gives the augmented chord its unique flavor, noting here that this #5 note is not included in the C major scale (i.e. the G# is non-diatonic).
For this reason, augmented chords are often used as a passing chord because the #5 note helps to create musical tension, which can then be resolved nicely. There are a few ways that we can approach the usage of the augmented chord and we will discuss this in more detail a little further down.
C MAJOR SCALE
C AUGMENTED
Augmented Chord Inversions
When we learn major triads, it is always a good idea to learn all of the inversions, so that we have added flexibility when using these chords. And the same principle applies here to augmented chords but there is also an extra piece of interesting information when it comes to learning your augmented chord inversions.
For example, when practicing your inversions for augmented chords, you may notice that the structure & symmetry of augmented chords means that your augmented inversions actually become other augmented chords. For example, when you learn the inversions for the C augmented chord, you will be learning E augmented chord and the G# augmented chord.
C aug
C aug 1st inversion = E aug
C aug 2nd inversion = G# aug
How To Use Augmented Chords
Now that we know how to play augmented chords, its time to learn how we can use them to sound good on piano. Augmented chords help us to create more interesting music so let's now look at two ways that you can use augmented chords, in a pop music type context, to help you add more color & flavor to your music.
1) Augmented Passing Chords
As we've already mentioned, one of the most popular ways to use augmented chords is to use them as passing chords. And there are two main ways that we can use augmented chords as passing chord options, as shown here:
Passing Chord Option 1 - C major -> C augmented -> F major Passing Chord Option 2 - C major -> C augmented -> A minor
There are lots of different ways that we can express these passing chord sequences so for example, you could just play these chords and it will sound fine OR you could use some different inversions or chord voicings to create more pleasant sounds OR you could express this with arpeggios or with ascending or descending melody lines, bass lines etc.
The most important thing to remember is that the #5 note is key to creating that unique sound. And in this way, this #5 note can be used as a passing tone i.e. as a nice melody line OR as a nice bass line OR we can use it somewhere in the middle of our chords as well (we will show you how to achieve this last option in the next section).
2) Creating Augmented Slash Chord Progressions
At this point, we have learnt how to play augmented chords and we have learnt a very basic technique for how to use them. So now, let us add some more complexity to this, so that we can create nice chord progressions with augmented chords.
Specifically, we will be using some slash chords as a way to help you see what is possible with augmented chords. And for those who don't know how to read slash chords, please check out our complete guide to slash chords. Once you are ready, you can now start to play the following progressions, for a more professional sound.
Progression 1 - C/G -> Caug/G# -> A minor -> Caug/G# Progression 2 - A minor -> Caug/G# -> C/G -> Caug/G# -> F/A Progression 3 - C -> Caug/E -> F major -> F minor
Pro Tip 1 - Try playing around with inversions to create good voice leading throughout these progressions. Pro Tip 2 - Try pulsing your chords on each 1-2-3-4 beat to create that 'old school pop song' augmented feel.
Augmented 7th Chords
So far, we have learnt about augmented chords and we said that these triad based augmented chords are most prevalent in pop music. But there is another kind of augmented chord that we can play, the augmented 7th chord, which is very commonly used in jazz-based musical genres. To construct the augmented 7th chord, we start with a normal augmented chord (1-3-#5) and then we add in the b7 note from the major scale (as seen below).
C MAJOR SCALE
C AUGMENTED 7TH
Using Augmented 7th Chords
As we've already mentioned, the augmented 7th chord is very commonly used in jazz-based musical genres. Typically, this chord is used to add more dissonance or tension to our music, so that we can resolve this nicely and create great sounding music. So let's now introduce you to a few ways that you can use the augmented 7th chord:
1) With Dominant Chords
A very common way to use an augmented 7th chord is to overlay it over dominant chords, to create a nice jazzy sound. Once we learn how to play dominant chords correctly, overlaying the augmented 7th chord over the dominant chord becomes very easy and we can use this to create a nice altered jazz sound, which can be super useful.
For example, whenever we are on a 5 dominant chord, we can over the augmented 7th chord and then resolve to a 1 major chord for a nice sound. Alternatively, this technique will also work nicely over a 251 or 514 passing chord sequence, as both of these passing chord sequences will be used to resolve to major chords.
C DOMINANT (1-3-b7) + C AUGMENTED 7TH
C DOMINANT (1-5-b7) + C AUGMENTED 7TH
2) With Tritone Substitution
We have just learnt that we can overlay an augmented 7th chord over a dominant chord, to create a nice altered #9 sound and whilst this is great, we can make one small adjustment to this technique to get another fantastically jazzy sound, which helps to give us more sound variety in a simple & easy way.
This technique works with tritone substitutions. Basically, rather than playing a G dominant chord with a G augmented 7th played over the top, we would instead play a C# dominant chord (as C# is a tritone away from G) and we would still play the same C augmented 7th chord over the top, to create a harmonically complex tension chord.
And for those who are new to tritones, a tritone is a measurement of 6 semitones, either above or below the root note. And to help explain this new technique more clearly, let us share a few examples comparing both of the techniques that we have introduced so far, using a simple 5 to 1 resolution (in the key of C major):
1st Technique - [G dominant + G augmented 7th] -> resolves into -> C major 9th 2st Technique - [C# dominant + G augmented 7th] -> resolves into -> C major 9th
Pro Tip 1 - You can play these dominant chords as a 1-3-b7 or 1-5-b7 left hand voicing. Pro Tip 2 - Both techniques can be used as part of a 251 & 514 passing chord sequence.
3) Double Augmented Chords
In the previous technique, we played an augmented 7th chord over the top of a dominant chord to create an altered chord, noting that we can use this altered chord in the same way as we would play a normal dominant chord. So now, we want to introduce a similar technique which gives a very strong dissonance or tension - the double augmented chord.
For example, if we play a G augmented chord in our left hand and we play an F augmented chord in our right hand, it helps to create a very dissonant G dominant altered chord sound, that we can use as a passing chord into either major & minor chords. For example, here is how a G dominant altered chord might look like when using this technique:
G AUGMENTED + F AUGMENTED = G DOMINANT ALTERED
Please note that this chord has a very strong tension so it may not be for everyone! The best way to use this chord is to slide into a major or minor chord with a dominant altered chord a 1/2 step above. For example, if we are playing in the key of C major, we could use this altered chord to slide into a 1 major or 6 minor chord:
Db augmented + B augmented (Db altered dominant chord) -> slides into -> C major 9th Bb augmented + Ab augmented (Bb altered dominant chord) -> slides into -> A minor 9th
Pro Tip - Please be sure to use good voice leading with this technique to create a smooth sound
Combining Different Chords
On this page, we have talked about how to use augmented chords as passing chords. This is because they help to create tension, which we can then be resolved in a variety of different ways. You may have also noticed that augmented chords can help to accentuate or highlight the sounds of the resolution chords, namely major chords and minor chords.
This is where it is important to have a good understanding about how to combine chords together. To help you achieve this, of course the first step is to learn the different types of chords (including learning about chord voicing options). From here, the second step is to learn how to combine these chords together (i.e. into chord progressions).
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