Baug chord on guitar
Baug (B augmented) is a augmented chord built on B. It has 3 notes, B, D♯ and F𝄪, and its formula is 1 3 ♯5.
Notes and intervals of Baug
From the root upwards, Baug contains root (B), major 3rd (D♯) and augmented 5th (F𝄪). Those intervals give the chord its colour: the formula 1 3 ♯5 works the same way in every key, so once you know it for B you can build the chord on any note.
| Degree | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | root | B |
| 3 | major 3rd | D♯ |
| ♯5 | augmented 5th | F𝄪 |
How to play Baug on guitar
The first shape above reads x 2 1 0 0 x from the low E string to the high E string (x means you do not play that string, 0 is an open string). The lowest note you play is B. The other diagrams show the same chord higher up the neck: pick the one closest to the chords before and after it in your song.
Let the open strings ring: strum slowly once and check that every note sounds clean before you speed up.
Which keys use Baug?
Baug is not built from the notes of a single major key, so it usually appears as a colour chord: a borrowed chord, a passing chord or a suspension that resolves to the next chord.
Scales to play over Baug
No common scale on B contains every note of Baug. Improvise with the arpeggio (play only B, D♯ and F𝄪) and add passing notes between them.
About augmented chords
Two stacked major thirds: 1 3 ♯5. The raised fifth makes it strange, dreamy and suspended in mid-air. The augmented chord is symmetrical: it splits the octave into three equal major thirds, so three augmented chords a major third apart share the same notes (for example Caug, Eaug and G♯aug). For example Caug: C E G♯.
Its most common role is a passing chord: I I+ IV or I I+ vi, where the fifth climbs chromatically (for example C, C+, F: G, G♯, A). It also works as an altered dominant, V+ to I, where the ♯5 leads up to the third of the next chord. Jazz standards, 1960s pop and film music use it for that rising tension.
Most guitarists use a compact four-string shape on the middle or top strings. Because the chord is symmetrical, the same shape moved up 4 frets gives the same notes with another note in the bass, so one shape covers three chords. Open shapes exist (for example Caug x32110), but the movable shape is more useful.
aug is not 7♯5: 7♯5 adds a minor seventh. The symbols +, aug and (♯5) all mean the same triad. And spelling matters: the top note is a raised fifth (G♯ in Caug), not a minor sixth (A♭), even if they sound the same: G♯ moves up, while A♭ would move down.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the Baug chord?
Baug (B augmented) contains B, D♯ and F𝄪. In intervals: root (B), major 3rd (D♯) and augmented 5th (F𝄪).
How do you play Baug on guitar?
The easiest shape is x 2 1 0 0 x, from the low E string to the high E string. This page shows 3 positions with finger numbers.
What scale goes with Baug?
No common scale on B contains every note of Baug; improvise with its arpeggio, B, D♯ and F𝄪.
What key is Baug in?
Baug does not belong to a single major key. It is used as a colour chord that borrows notes from outside the key.
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