A♭ augmented chord (A♭aug)
A♭aug is A♭, C and E: 1–3–♯5 built on A♭. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
4-3-2-1-1-0 · partial barre · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- First shape
- 4-3-2-1-1-0
A♭aug on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · A♭–C–E · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
A♭aug on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-0-0-3 · open · easy
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- First shape
- 1-0-0-3
A♭aug and the chords around it
Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.
- A♭aug → C♯ (the raised fifth pushes up into the IV)
Guitar: A♭aug (4-3-2-1-1-0) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 6th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. A♭ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: A♭aug to C♯: play C♯ in 2nd inversion (G♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ stays under the same finger, while C moves up to C♯ and E up to E♯. C♯ - A♭aug → E♭ (V in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭aug (4-3-2-1-1-0) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the high E string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once.
Piano: A♭aug to E♭: play E♭ in 1st inversion (G–B♭–E♭), while A♭ moves down to G, C down to B♭ and E down to E♭. E♭ - A♭aug → Fm (vi in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭aug (4-3-2-1-1-0) to Fm (1-3-3-1-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the A string, 3rd fret, the ring finger slides across to the D string at the same fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for A♭ and C, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: A♭aug to Fm: play Fm in 1st inversion (A♭–C–F) and A♭ and C stay under the same fingers, while E moves up to F. Fm
Guitar with a capo: capo 4, Eaug shape.
How A♭aug is built
A♭aug is an augmented triad: two major thirds stacked, with a raised fifth. It sounds suspended and dreamlike. Because the major thirds split the octave evenly, A♭aug shares its three notes with Caug and Eaug.
Count keys (black and white) from A♭: 4 half steps up to C then 4 half steps up to E. You may also see it as G♯aug: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | root | 0 | |
| C | major third | 4 | |
| E | augmented fifth | 8 |
Keys and progressions with A♭aug
A♭aug isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
Chords close to A♭aug
- A♭aug and A♭ differ by one note: E in A♭aug, E♭ in A♭. They share A♭ and C. A♭
Chords that share most of their notes with A♭aug: Caug, Eaug, C, C♯m, E, Fm.
Every A♭ chord
A♭ augmented chord: questions
What notes are in the A♭ augmented chord?
A♭, C and E. A♭aug is built 1–3–♯5 from A♭: C is the major third and E is the augmented fifth.
How do you play A♭aug on guitar?
The usual shape is 4-3-2-1-1-0 (partial barre). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play A♭aug on piano?
Play A♭, C and E with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play A♭aug on ukulele?
1-0-0-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is A♭aug in?
A♭aug isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
What's the difference between A♭aug and A♭?
A♭aug and A♭ differ by one note: E in A♭aug, E♭ in A♭. They share A♭ and C.
All three instruments are drawn and played from A♭, C and E by the same engine. Updated September 2026.