Root position Aaug
A – C♯ – E♯
Right hand 1-3-5Left hand 5-3-1
A Augmented Chord on Piano
Aaug A C♯ E♯ Formula 1 3 #5 3 notes
Notes
What notes are in the A Augmented chord?
The A Augmented chord has 3 notes: A, C♯, E♯. Two major thirds stacked: 4 half steps, then 4 more. The raised fifth makes it unstable, and the three notes split the octave in equal parts. Spelled by the rules of harmony, E♯ is the F key on the keyboard.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| A | Root | 0 |
| C♯ | Major 3rd | 4 |
| E♯ (the F key) | Augmented 5th | 8 |
Inversions and fingering
Every way to play A Augmented
The same notes in a different order. The lowest note changes the name after the slash; the fingering below is the usual one - right hand from the lowest key up, left hand from the lowest key up too.
1st inversion Aaug/C♯
C♯ – E♯ – A
Right hand 1-2-5Left hand 5-3-1
The piano studio names these keys C♯aug: the same notes, read from another root.
2nd inversion Aaug/F
E♯ – A – C♯
Right hand 1-3-5Left hand 5-2-1
The piano studio names these keys Faug: the same notes, read from another root.
Where it lives
Keys and scales with A Augmented
Every key where Aaug is one of the seven chords, with its Roman numeral, and the scales whose notes include all of it - the ones to improvise over it.
Aaug is not a diatonic chord of any major or natural minor key.
Scales that contain all its notes
Questions
Frequently asked
What notes are in the A Augmented chord?
The A Augmented chord (Aaug) is made of A, C♯, E♯. Its formula is 1 3 #5 - the root, then the intervals of a augmented chord.
How do you play Aaug on the piano?
Put your right thumb on A and play the other notes with fingers 1-3-5. With the left hand, use fingers 5-3-1 from the lowest key up.
What are the inversions of Aaug?
root position Aaug (A C♯ E♯); 1st inversion Aaug/C♯ (C♯ E♯ A); 2nd inversion Aaug/F (E♯ A C♯).
Play it for real
Hold Aaug and build a progression on it
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