Piano chord
C♯ augmented chord
C♯aug is an augmented triad: the root C♯, a major 3rd up to E♯ and an augmented 5th up to G𝄪.
- Symbol
- C♯aug
- Notes
- C♯ – E♯ – G𝄪
Play it yourself
Tap C♯, E♯ and G𝄪 on the keys below, in any order.
- C♯
- E♯
- G𝄪
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 C♯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
C♯ – E♯ – G𝄪
- 1st inversion · C♯aug/E♯
E♯ – G𝄪 – C♯
- 2nd inversion · C♯aug/G𝄪
G𝄪 – C♯ – E♯
Keys with C♯aug
C♯aug doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.