A♭aug chord on piano
A♭aug (A flat augmented) is a augmented chord built on A♭. It has 3 notes, A♭, C and E, and its formula is 1 3 ♯5.
Notes and intervals of A♭aug
From the root upwards, A♭aug contains root (A♭), major 3rd (C) and augmented 5th (E). 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 A♭ you can build the chord on any note.
| Degree | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | root | A♭ |
| 3 | major 3rd | C |
| ♯5 | augmented 5th | E |
How to play A♭aug on piano
Find A♭ and play A♭, C and E together. With the right hand, a common fingering is 1-3-5. With the left hand, reverse it (5-3-1). Keep your wrist level and let the fingers curve, so all 3 keys go down at the same time.
Inversions of A♭aug
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts another one in the bass. A♭aug has 2 inversions besides root position: 1st inversion (C E A♭) and 2nd inversion (E A♭ C). Inversions let you move between chords with tiny hand movements, which is how pianists make progressions sound smooth.
Which keys use A♭aug?
A♭aug 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 A♭aug
No common scale on A♭ contains every note of A♭aug. Improvise with the arpeggio (play only A♭, C and E) 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.
Play 1 3 ♯5 with fingers 1 3 5. The hand shape is identical in every inversion because each gap is a major third. As a passing chord, hold the root and third and move only the fifth up a semitone, then again (5, ♯5, 6). The left hand can sustain the root throughout.
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 A♭aug chord?
A♭aug (A flat augmented) contains A♭, C and E. In intervals: root (A♭), major 3rd (C) and augmented 5th (E).
How do you play A♭aug on piano?
Play A♭, C and E together with the right-hand fingering 1-3-5. You can also play it in 2 inversions, shown on this page.
What scale goes with A♭aug?
No common scale on A♭ contains every note of A♭aug; improvise with its arpeggio, A♭, C and E.
What key is A♭aug in?
A♭aug 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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