Chord · G Augmented
Gaug Chord
Gaug is G, B and D# — unsettled, dreamlike; symmetrical.
Gaug on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Gaug is made of
Gaug (G augmented) is built from the notes G, B, D#, with the interval pattern 1, 3, #5.
Stack 1, 3 and #5 on a root of G and you get G, B and D#. 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 Caug sounds like a transposed Gaug.
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 D♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Gaug
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 G
Same root, different colour.
The same augmented shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Gaug
- What notes are in the Gaug chord?
- Gaug is made of G, B and D# — the 1, 3 and #5 degrees of an augmented chord built on G.
- What keys use the Gaug chord?
- No major or natural-minor key contains all 3 notes of Gaug. 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 Gaug on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Gaug on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Gaug behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.