NoteAtlas

Piano chord · Augmented triad

C augmented piano chord (Caug)

C, E and G♯, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.

C augmented in root position on the piano keyboard: C, E, G sharpDFGABC5DEFGABC6C4EG♯A♭
C augmented chord in root position on the treble staff

Notes in Caug: C, E and G♯

NoteInterval from the rootKey around middle C
CRootC4 · white key
EMajor 3rdE4 · white key
G♯Augmented 5thG♯4 · black key
  • Chord symbol: Caug — C augmented
  • Formula: R · 3 · #5 (0 · 4 · 8 semitones from the root)
  • Right hand fingering: 1-3-5 — thumb, middle finger and little finger
  • Left hand fingering: 5-3-1, little finger on the root

How Caug works

C augmented raises C major's G to G♯, so it is two major thirds stacked. It has no stable home — it is symmetrical, so the same three keys spell E augmented and A♭ augmented too — and it is used to push a chord towards the next one, as in C–Caug–F.

Caug inversions

An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then two inversions.

  • Root position

    C augmented in root position: C, E, G sharpC4EG♯A♭

    C–E–G♯ — the root, C, is at the bottom.

  • 1st inversion — E in the bass

    C augmented, 1st inversion — E in the bass: E, G sharp, CEC5G♯A♭

    E–G♯–C — the same three notes, reordered so E is lowest.

  • 2nd inversion — G♯ in the bass

    C augmented, 2nd inversion — G sharp in the bass: G sharp, C, EC5EG♯A♭

    G♯–C–E — the same three notes, reordered so G♯ is lowest.

Common mistakes on Caug

  • Spelling the top note A♭. In C augmented it is G♯, a raised fifth, even though it is the same black key.
  • Using it as a resting chord. Augmented chords sound unfinished by design; move on.
C augmented piano chord diagram
Caug piano chord chart: C, E, G♯ highlighted and labeled on the keyboard.

Piano chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.