Daug Piano Chord

D augmented is the Daug piano chord. It has three notes: D, F sharp and A sharp. It is a D major chord with the fifth raised by one key.

1D3F♯5A♯C4C5

D at the bottom, then F♯ and A♯. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1. The black keys are F♯ and A♯.

How to play Daug on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the D above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): D
  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 D on its own as a bass note.

The upper two notes are both black keys, so the hand steps deeper into the keyboard as it climbs. That is a useful shape to get used to.

Inversions of Daug

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

First inversionF♯ A♯ D
Daug piano chord diagram, first inversion, F♯ A♯ D
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♯ D F♯
Daug piano chord diagram, second inversion, A♯ D 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 A
That is plain D major. D augmented needs A sharp, the black key above it.
The hand feels tilted
The thumb is on a white key and the other two fingers are on black ones, so the hand naturally angles. Let it rather than forcing the wrist level.
The chord sounds unstable
That is the point. Follow it with G major and the raised fifth resolves.

What makes it a Daug

D · F♯ · A♯ 1 3 ♯5

D augmented is D, F sharp and A sharp: the root, the third and the sharp fifth, two major thirds stacked.

It leads naturally from D to G, with the A climbing through A sharp to B. Being built from equal intervals it has no home key of its own.

Daug vs D

The top note. D major has A, a white key; D augmented has A sharp, the black key above it.

That change also alters the hand: D major has one black key, D augmented has two, so the hand sits deeper.

Questions about Daug

Which notes are in Daug on piano?

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

What is the difference between Daug and D major?

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

Why do Daug, F#aug and Bbaug 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 Daug, F#aug and Bbaug are one shape with three names.

Where is Daug used?

Almost always as a passing chord. It appears between D major and G 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 D chords