Chord · C Augmented
Caug Chord
Caug is C, E and G# — unsettled, dreamlike; symmetrical.
Caug on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Caug is made of
Caug (C augmented) is built from the notes C, E, G#, with the interval pattern 1, 3, #5.
Stack 1, 3 and #5 on a root of C and you get C, E and G#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord an augmented chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Daug sounds like a transposed Caug.
Augmented: Unsettled, dreamlike; symmetrical.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with G♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Caug
No major or natural-minor key contains all 3 of these notes — this one gets borrowed.
Chords like this one sit outside the diatonic set — they arrive as secondary dominants, borrowed chords or passing harmony. Browse every key to see which progressions pull it in.
Other chords on C
Same root, different colour.
The same augmented shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Caug
- What notes are in the Caug chord?
- Caug is made of C, E and G# — the 1, 3 and #5 degrees of an augmented chord built on C.
- What keys use the Caug chord?
- No major or natural-minor key contains all 3 notes of Caug. Chords like this arrive as borrowed harmony — secondary dominants, harmonic-minor colour, or chromatic passing chords — rather than as one of a key's native chords.
- How do you play Caug on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Caug on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 14 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Caug behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.