A♭ Augmented Chord on Guitar
A♭aug A♭ C E 2 shapes Barre chord
Also written G♯aug: the same frets under another name.
Chord diagrams
How to play A♭ Augmented on guitar
The A♭ Augmented chord (A♭aug) is made of A♭, C, E - 1 3 #5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the E-shape shape at fret 4 (4x655x). Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
A-shape, fret 9 x(11)(10)99x
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in A♭ Augmented?
The A♭ Augmented chord has 3 different notes: A♭, C, E. Two major thirds stacked; the raised fifth makes it restless. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: every shape here leaves at least one string unplayed - watch the x marks. Mute the strings marked x with the side of a fretting finger, so that only the chord rings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | Root | 0 |
| C | Major 3rd | 4 |
| E | Augmented 5th | 8 |
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play A♭aug on guitar?
The E-shape shape 4x655x: low E string fret 4 (finger 1), D string fret 6 (finger 4), G string fret 5 (finger 2), B string fret 5 (finger 3); do not play A and high E.
What notes are in the A♭ Augmented chord?
The A♭ Augmented chord (A♭aug) is made of A♭, C, E. Its formula is 1 3 #5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play A♭aug without a barre?
There is no common open shape for A♭aug in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: e-shape, fret 4 (4x655x) is the lowest on the neck. If a full barre is hard at first, play only the four highest strings of that shape - the root and the third are still there.
Is A♭ Augmented the same as G♯aug?
On the guitar, yes: the same frets. The name changes with the key - sharps in sharp keys, flats in flat keys.
Keep playing
Strum A♭aug, then build a song around it
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