In a descending line clichéB♭ major
The descending line cliché: the fifth of the tonic rises a semitone, then falls into the third of the vi.
B♭ Augmented Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♭ Augmented chord is built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D and F♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯ Augmented.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Augmented chords feel floaty and uncertain. Raising the fifth of a major triad creates a symmetrical chord with no clear home, which suits transitions and dreamy film score moments.
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8
- Note
- B♭
- Quality
- Augmented
- Symbol
- B♭+
B♭ Augmented on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play B♭ Augmented on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B♭, middle finger on D and little finger on F♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ and F♯ are black keys and D is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B♭1
- D3
- F♯♯5
B♭ Augmented on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♭ Augmented is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
B♭ · D · F♯
Play B♭ Augmented on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
B♭ Augmented chord notes
Also known as A♯ Augmented
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | D | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | F♯(F#) |
How to use the B♭ Augmented chord
The B♭ Augmented chord is built from a root, a major third and an augmented fifth. Start at the root B♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B♭, D and F♯. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Augmented chords show up in jazz, bossa nova, film scores and psychedelic rock. They're often used as a brief transition chord, for example between I and vi in a major key.
How B♭ Augmented differs from similar chords
B♭+ raises the fifth of B♭ by a half step, so it stacks two major thirds and has no perfect fifth at all. That makes it the mirror image of B♭°, which stacks two minor thirds. Because three major thirds split the octave evenly, the same three notes form an augmented chord on each of them.
Where B♭ Augmented is used
An augmented chord is unstable by construction: it turns up as a passing tonic inside a descending line, and as a dominant sharpened to pull harder.
As an altered dominantE♭ major
- V+B♭+
- IE♭
Raising the fifth of the dominant sharpens its pull into E♭.
Scales that contain B♭+
These scales include B♭+ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Lydian Dominant
C · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B♭
D Harmonic Major
D · E · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C♯
D Phrygian Dominant
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C
D Gypsy Major
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C♯
D Persian
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♯
D Hindu
D · E · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C
D Arabian
D · E · F♯ · G · A♭ · B♭ · C
E Arabian
E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B♭ · C · D
F♯ Altered
F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C · D · E
G Harmonic Minor
G · A · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F♯
G Melodic Minor
G · A · B♭ · C · D · E · F♯
G Hungarian Minor
G · A · B♭ · C♯ · D · E♭ · F♯
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♭ Augmented chord?
- The B♭ Augmented chord contains B♭, D and F♯ (Bb, D and F# in plain text).
- Is the B♭ Augmented chord major or minor?
- B♭ Augmented is a augmented chord. Augmented chords feel floaty and uncertain. Raising the fifth of a major triad creates a symmetrical chord with no clear home, which suits transitions and dreamy film score moments.
- How do you play B♭ Augmented on piano?
- Place your fingers on B♭, D and F♯ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard B♭ and F♯ are black keys and D is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play B♭ Augmented on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What is another name for the B♭ Augmented chord?
- B♭ Augmented is enharmonically equivalent to A♯ Augmented. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.