Root position B♭aug
B♭ – D – F♯
Right hand 1-3-5Left hand 5-3-1
B♭ Augmented Chord on Piano
B♭aug B♭ D F♯ Formula 1 3 #5 3 notes
Also written A♯ aug: the same keys under another name.
Notes
What notes are in the B♭ Augmented chord?
The B♭ Augmented chord has 3 notes: B♭, D, F♯. 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.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ | Root | 0 |
| D | Major 3rd | 4 |
| F♯ | Augmented 5th | 8 |
Inversions and fingering
Every way to play B♭ 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 B♭aug/D
D – F♯ – B♭
Right hand 1-2-5Left hand 5-3-1
The piano studio names these keys Daug: the same notes, read from another root.
2nd inversion B♭aug/G♭
F♯ – B♭ – D
Right hand 1-3-5Left hand 5-2-1
The piano studio names these keys G♭aug: the same notes, read from another root.
Where it lives
Keys and scales with B♭ Augmented
Every key where B♭aug 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.
B♭aug 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 B♭ Augmented chord?
The B♭ Augmented chord (B♭aug) is made of B♭, D, F♯. Its formula is 1 3 #5 - the root, then the intervals of a augmented chord.
How do you play B♭aug on the piano?
Put your right thumb on B♭ 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 B♭aug?
root position B♭aug (B♭ D F♯); 1st inversion B♭aug/D (D F♯ B♭); 2nd inversion B♭aug/G♭ (F♯ B♭ D).
Is B♭ Augmented the same as A♯ aug?
On the piano, yes: the same keys. The name changes with the key you are in - sharps in sharp keys, flats in flat keys.
Play it for real
Hold B♭aug and build a progression on it
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