Bbaug Ukulele Chord

Bbaug is the B flat augmented chord, also written A#aug. It has three notes: B flat, D and F sharp. The standard shape is a diagonal stack across the first three frets, one finger per string, with the root doubled at both ends.

The diagonal staircase: pinky on the G string at 3, middle and ring paired at the 2nd fret, index on the A string at 1. The root B flat sits at both ends.

How to play Bbaug on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 1st fret, A string
Middle finger: 2nd fret, C string
Ring finger: 2nd fret, E string
Pinky finger: 3rd fret, G string
Strum all four strings.

Plain Bb is a barre chord; Bbaug swaps the barre for a diagonal, one fingertip per string. Neither is free, but many players find the diagonal kinder than the barre on a small neck.

More ways to play Bbaug

There are 3 common Bbaug shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Bbaug ukulele chord diagram, frets 3 to 6, played 3665 — Frets 3 to 6

Bbaug ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 7, played 7665 — Frets 5 to 7

If it buzzes or sounds wrong

The diagonal will not ring: Build it in order: pinky at the 3rd fret of the G string, middle and ring at 2, index at 1. Test each string alone; the shape only works when all four notes speak.
The middle pair leans together: Middle and ring share the 2nd fret. Keep the fingers curled so each presses its own string, with the palm off the neck.
The 1st fret B flat is dead: The index is the lowest rung and the easiest to underpress. Set it right behind the fret wire; that note doubles the root and carries the top of the strum.

What makes it a Bbaug

B♭ · D · F♯ 1 3 ♯5

Bbaug is an augmented triad: B flat major with the fifth raised a half step, F becoming F sharp. The raised note hangs a half step below G, so the chord tips toward E flat major and toward G minor, both of which contain the note it is reaching for.

The textbook line is Bb to Bbaug to Eb, the F sharp climbing to G, the third of Eb. And because B flat to D and D to F sharp are both major thirds, Bbaug contains exactly the same notes as Daug and F#aug, which is why one diagonal grip serves all three chords.

Bb vs Bbaug

One fret separates them: Bb is 3211 with a small barre, Bbaug is 3221. The E string note rises from the 1st to the 2nd fret, lifting the fifth F to F sharp, and the barre becomes a diagonal with one fingertip per string.

Bb does the work in flat keys; Bbaug is the passing colour between Bb and Eb, or a chromatic step under a melody moving from F to G. A beat or two is all it wants.

Bbaug chord questions

Are Bbaug and A#aug the same chord?

Yes. B flat and A sharp are one pitch with two spellings, so Bbaug and A#aug are the same chord. Flat keys write Bbaug, sharp keys A#aug.

What does Bbaug resolve to?

E flat major most often, the raised fifth F sharp climbing to G. G minor uses the same climb, and plain Bb takes the chord home.

How is Bbaug different from Bb?

One note: the fifth. Bb is B flat, D, F; Bbaug raises the F to F sharp. On the standard shapes that is one fret on the C string, and the barre becomes a four finger diagonal.

Does Bbaug share notes with other chords?

Yes, with Daug and F#aug. The augmented triad splits the octave into three equal major thirds, so the same three notes serve three roots.

Is Bbaug hard to play?

It takes all four fingers in three frets, so it is one of the harder shapes in this family, but there is no barre and no stretch past the 3rd fret. The 7665 version higher up gives the same grip more room.