G♭ augmented chord (G♭aug)
G♭aug is G♭, B♭ and D: 1–3–♯5 built on G♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-x-4-3-3-2 · movable · medium
- Notes
- G♭ · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- First shape
- x-x-4-3-3-2
G♭aug on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · G♭–B♭–D · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- G♭ · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
G♭aug on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-2-2-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- G♭ · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- First shape
- 3-2-2-1
Changing out of G♭aug
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- G♭aug → B (the raised fifth pushes up into the IV)
Guitar: G♭aug (x-x-4-3-3-2) to B (x-2-4-4-4-2): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 4th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. G♭ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: G♭aug to B: play B in 2nd inversion (F♯–B–D♯) and F♯ stays under the same finger, while B♭ moves up to B and D up to D♯. B - G♭aug → C♯ (V in F♯ major)
Guitar: G♭aug (x-x-4-3-3-2) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the D string, 6th fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 6th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once.
Piano: G♭aug to C♯: play C♯ in 1st inversion (E♯–G♯–C♯), while G♭ moves down to E♯, B♭ down to G♯ and D down to C♯. C♯ - G♭aug → E♭m (vi in F♯ major)
Guitar: G♭aug (x-x-4-3-3-2) to E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2): your index finger lands on the D string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the high E string, 2nd fret, the ring finger slides across to the G string at the same fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share G♭ and B♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: G♭aug to E♭m: play E♭m in 1st inversion (G♭–B♭–E♭) and G♭ and B♭ stay under the same fingers, while D moves up to E♭. E♭m
Guitar with a capo: capo 2, Eaug shape; capo 6, Caug shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 6, Caug shape.
How G♭aug is built
G♭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, G♭aug shares its three notes with B♭aug and Daug.
Count keys (black and white) from G♭: 4 half steps up to B♭ then 4 half steps up to D. F♯aug is the other spelling of the same chord.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| G♭ | root | 0 | |
| B♭ | major third | 4 | |
| D | augmented fifth | 8 |
Keys and progressions with G♭aug
G♭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 G♭aug
- G♭aug and F♯ differ by one note: D in G♭aug, C♯ in F♯. They share G♭ and B♭. F♯
Chords that share most of their notes with G♭aug: Daug, B♭aug, D, E♭m, F♯, Gm.
Every G♭ chord
G♭ augmented chord: questions
What notes are in the G♭ augmented chord?
G♭, B♭ and D. G♭aug is built 1–3–♯5 from G♭: B♭ is the major third and D is the augmented fifth.
How do you play G♭aug on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-4-3-3-2 (movable). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play G♭aug on piano?
Play G♭, B♭ and D with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. G♭ sits on the first black key of the group of three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play G♭aug on ukulele?
3-2-2-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is G♭aug in?
G♭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 G♭aug and F♯?
G♭aug and F♯ differ by one note: D in G♭aug, C♯ in F♯. They share G♭ and B♭.
All three instruments are drawn and played from G♭, B♭ and D by the same engine. Updated September 2026.