Root position
G# – B# – D##The root G# is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.
3 notes · 1 · 3 · ♯5
G# Augmented Piano Chord (G#aug)
G#aug is built from G#, B# and D## — the formula 1 · 3 · ♯5, or 4 and 8 semitones above G#. The shape uses 2 white and 1 black key, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.
Chord
G# Augmented
Notes
G# · C · EFormula
1 · 3 · ♯5Right hand
1 · 3 · 5C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).
The finder above already holds G#aug. Press P or the Play chord button to hear G#, B#, D## sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.
Chord tones
The notes in G#aug
An augmented triad is two major thirds stacked, so the fifth is raised by a semitone. Every note sits four semitones from the next, which leaves the chord without an obvious home and gives it a suspended, slightly uneasy colour. It is not diatonic to the major scale; it appears on the third degree of the harmonic minor scale and as an altered dominant.
| Note | Interval | Degree | Semitones | Right hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G#black key | Root | 1 | 0 | 1 · thumb |
| B#white key | Major third | 3 | 4 | 3 · middle finger |
| D##white key | Augmented fifth | ♯5 | 8 | 5 · little finger |
Step by step
How to play G#aug on piano
- Find G#: it is the middle black key in a group of three.
- Build upwards from G# using 4 and 8 semitones to reach B# and D##.
- With the right hand, place finger 1 on G#, finger 3 on B# and finger 5 on D##. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
- Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black key sits comfortably under your fingers.
- Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how G#aug settles.
- Try first inversion as well: B# – D## – G#. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.
Inversions
G#aug in 3 positions
An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.
First inversion
B# – D## – G#B# is the lowest note, so the major third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
Second inversion
D## – G# – B#D## is the lowest note, so the augmented fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
In context
Which keys contain G#aug
In F harmonic minor the chord functions as III+. It is the only key listed here that produces this chord from its own scale, which is part of why the chord sounds unusual.
- F harmonic minorIII+
Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.
Compare
G#aug against G# major
G#aug and G# major share G# and B#. Moving the perfect fifth D# up 1 semitone to the augmented fifth D## turns G# major into G#aug.
Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes G#, B# still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.
Open G# major →Good questions
G#aug questions
What notes are in the G#aug chord?
G#aug contains G#, B# and D##. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · 3 · ♯5, or 4 and 8 semitones above G#.
What is the right-hand fingering for G#aug?
A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on G#, 3 (middle finger) on B# and 5 (little finger) on D##. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.
How is G#aug different from G# major?
G#aug and G# major share G# and B#. Moving the perfect fifth D# up 1 semitone to the augmented fifth D## turns G# major into G#aug.
Which keys use the G#aug chord?
It occurs naturally in F harmonic minor (III+). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.
What are the inversions of G#aug?
root position is G# – B# – D##, first inversion is B# – D## – G# and second inversion is D## – G# – B#. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.
Is G#aug the same as the A♭ chord?
On an equal-tempered piano G# and A♭ are the same key, so the chords sound identical. Written music chooses between them according to the key signature: pages here are named after the sharp spelling of the root, and the chord tones are then spelled by the degree each one occupies, which is why a double sharp occasionally appears.