B♭ augmented chord (B♭aug)
B♭aug is B♭, D and F♯: 1–3–♯5 built on B♭. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
x-1-0-3-3-2 · open · medium
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- First shape
- x-1-0-3-3-2
B♭aug on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · B♭–D–F♯ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
B♭aug on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-2-2-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- First shape
- 3-2-2-1
Changing out of B♭aug
Three changes cover most of what B♭aug does in songs.
- B♭aug → E♭ (the raised fifth pushes up into the IV)
Guitar: B♭aug (x-1-0-3-3-2) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): the index finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the high E string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for B♭, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: B♭aug to E♭: play E♭ in 2nd inversion (B♭–E♭–G) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while D moves up to E♭ and F♯ up to G. E♭ - B♭aug → F (V in B♭ major)
Guitar: B♭aug (x-1-0-3-3-2) to F (1-3-3-2-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit.
Piano: B♭aug to F: play F in 1st inversion (A–C–F), while B♭ moves down to A, D down to C and F♯ down to F. F - B♭aug → Gm (vi in B♭ major)
Guitar: B♭aug (x-1-0-3-3-2) to Gm (3-5-5-3-3-3): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 3rd fret, your middle finger lands on the A string, 5th fret, move the ring finger to the D string, 5th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. B♭ and D carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: B♭aug to Gm: play Gm in 1st inversion (B♭–D–G) and B♭ and D stay under the same fingers, while F♯ moves up to G. Gm
Guitar with a capo: capo 6, Eaug shape.
How B♭aug is built
B♭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, B♭aug shares its three notes with Daug and G♭aug.
From B♭, go 4 half steps up to D then 4 half steps up to F♯. You may also see it as A♯aug: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | root | 0 | |
| D | major third | 4 | |
| F♯ | augmented fifth | 8 |
Keys and progressions with B♭aug
B♭aug sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
Chords close to B♭aug
- B♭aug and B♭ differ by one note: F♯ in B♭aug, F in B♭. They share B♭ and D. B♭
Chords that share most of their notes with B♭aug: Daug, G♭aug, D, E♭m, F♯, Gm.
Every B♭ chord
B♭ augmented chord: questions
What notes are in the B♭ augmented chord?
B♭, D and F♯. B♭aug is built 1–3–♯5 from B♭: D is the major third and F♯ is the augmented fifth.
How do you play B♭aug on guitar?
The usual shape is x-1-0-3-3-2 (open). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play B♭aug on piano?
Play B♭, D and F♯ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. B♭ sits on the last black key of the group of three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play B♭aug on ukulele?
3-2-2-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is B♭aug in?
B♭aug sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
What's the difference between B♭aug and B♭?
B♭aug and B♭ differ by one note: F♯ in B♭aug, F in B♭. They share B♭ and D.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes B♭, D and F♯ and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.