Bass · augmented
Caug Chord on Bass
C Augmented is C, E, G# — the 1-3-#5 pattern of a augmented chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
There is no open Caug on bass. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.
Start here — Root-3-#5 Shape (8th fret)
Sits at fret 8 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Root-3-#5 Shape (8th fret).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Caug on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on bass.
Caug on Bass — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Caug on bass?
“Root-3-#5 Shape (8th fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest Caug shape on bass. Sits at fret 8 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath. There is no open Caug on bass, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the C Augmented chord?
C Augmented is C, E, G# — the 1-3-#5 interval pattern of a augmented chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
What can I play instead of Caug?
The nearest stand-ins on bass that keep the same root are C5, Csus4, Csus2. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play Caug on other instruments?
Yes. Caug is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Caug
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
Borrowed Chords and Modal Mixture — Stealing from Parallel Keys
The raised fifth comes from outside the key. This is where chords like it are borrowed from.
7 min read
Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One Engine
That sharpened fifth is a pull toward the next chord — here is the mechanism.
6 min read
Intervals — The Only Music Theory You Actually Need
Two stacked major thirds, and the symmetry that makes it feel homeless.
5 min read