Caug Piano Chord

C augmented is the Caug piano chord. It has three notes: C, E and G sharp. It is a C major chord with the fifth raised by one key, which gives it a stretched, unfinished sound.

1C3E5G♯C4C5

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

How to play Caug on piano, step by step

  1. Start on middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): C
  3. Middle finger (3): E
  4. Little finger (5): G♯
  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.

Play C major, then push the little finger up one key from G to G sharp. Everything about the augmented sound comes from that one step.

Inversions of Caug

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

First inversionE G♯ C
Caug piano chord diagram, first inversion, E G♯ 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 inversionG♯ C E
Caug piano chord diagram, second inversion, G♯ C E
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
That is plain C major. C augmented needs G sharp, the black key immediately above it.
The little finger cannot reach the black key
It has to go further into the keyboard than the other two fingers. Move the whole hand forward instead of stretching.
The chord sounds odd on its own
It is meant to. An augmented chord is a passing sound; play C, then C augmented, then F, and it makes sense immediately.

What makes it a Caug

C · E · G♯ 1 3 ♯5

C augmented is C, E and G sharp: the root, the third and the sharp fifth. Both gaps are major thirds, four half steps each, which makes the shape perfectly even under the hand.

Because it is built from equal intervals it belongs to no key in particular. Its job is to move: the raised fifth pulls upward, usually into the chord a fourth above.

Caug vs C

The top note. C major has G; C augmented raises it to G sharp. One key, and a settled chord becomes an unsettled one.

The classic use is between the two: C, then C augmented, then F. The G climbing to G sharp and on to A is the line the chord exists to carry.

Questions about Caug

Which notes are in Caug on piano?

C, E and G sharp. It is C major with the fifth raised by one key.

What is the difference between Caug and C major?

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

Why do Caug, Eaug and Abaug 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 Caug, Eaug and Abaug are one shape with three names.

Where is Caug used?

Almost always as a passing chord. It appears between C major and F 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