C#aug Piano Chord

C sharp augmented is the C#aug piano chord. It has three notes: C sharp, F and A. Only the root is a black key.

1C♯3F5AC4C5

C♯ at the bottom, then F and A. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1. The black key is C♯.

How to play C#aug on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the C♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): C♯
  3. Middle finger (3): F
  4. Little finger (5): A
  5. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 1 an octave lower, or just C♯ on its own as a bass note.

Both upper notes are written as the keys you actually press: F rather than E sharp, and A rather than G double sharp. Every chart does the same.

Inversions of C#aug

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are C#aug; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionF A C♯
C#aug piano chord diagram, first inversion, F A C♯
Lighter than root position and less final. A third in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionA C♯ F
C#aug piano chord diagram, second inversion, A C♯ F
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.

If it sounds wrong

The top note is G sharp
That is plain C sharp major. C sharp augmented needs A, the white key above it.
The thumb slips off
C sharp is the only black key in the chord. The hand has to sit far enough in for the thumb to reach it comfortably.
The chord will not resolve
It is a passing chord. Follow it with F sharp major, or let the A drop back to G sharp.

What makes it a C#aug

C♯ · F · A 1 3 ♯5

C sharp augmented is C sharp, F and A: the root, the third and the sharp fifth. Written strictly those upper notes are E sharp and G double sharp, which are the keys called F and A.

It leads from C sharp to F sharp, with the G sharp climbing through A to A sharp. Two major thirds stacked, so it has no home key.

C#aug vs C#

The top note. C sharp major has G sharp, a black key; C sharp augmented raises it to A, a white one.

That makes the augmented chord the easier of the two under the hand, with one black key instead of two.

Questions about C#aug

Which notes are in C#aug on piano?

C sharp, F and A. It is C sharp major with the fifth raised by one key.

What is the difference between C#aug and C sharp major?

The top note. C sharp major has a normal fifth; C#aug raises it by one key, which makes the chord sound stretched and unsettled instead of finished.

Why do C#aug, Faug and Aaug contain the same keys?

An augmented chord is two major thirds stacked, and four half steps repeated three times comes back to where it started. That means the same three keys can be named from any of its notes, so C#aug, Faug and Aaug are one shape with three names.

Where is C#aug used?

Almost always as a passing chord. It appears between C sharp major and F sharp major, or under a melody note that is climbing, and it resolves as soon as the raised fifth moves on.

Chords to learn next

Other C# chords