Piano chord
A♭ augmented chord
A♭aug is an augmented triad: the root A♭, a major 3rd up to C and an augmented 5th up to E.
- Symbol
- A♭aug
- Notes
- A♭ – C – E
Play it yourself
Tap A♭, C and E on the keys below, in any order.
- A♭
- C
- E
Augmented chords sound dreamy and unresolved. Both of their intervals are major thirds, so they split the octave into three equal parts and have no clear home.
Inversions of A♭aug
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
A♭ – C – E
- 1st inversion · A♭aug/C
C – E – A♭
- 2nd inversion · A♭aug/E
E – A♭ – C
Keys with A♭aug
A♭aug doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.