B♯ Augmented Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♯ Augmented chord is built on the root note B♯. Its notes are B♯, D𝄪 and G♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as C Augmented.
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𝄪 · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8
- Note
- B♯
- Quality
- Augmented
- Symbol
- B♯+
B♯ Augmented on piano
3 notes
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 G♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♯ is a black key and B♯ and D𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call C and E. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B♯1
- D𝄪3
- G♯♯5
B♯ Augmented on guitar
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 8: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
B♯ · D𝄪 · G♯
Try B♯ Augmented on the virtual 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 C Augmented
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♯(B#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | D𝄪(D##) | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | G♯(G#) |
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 G♯. 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
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key B♯ Augmented would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
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.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♯ Augmented chord?
- The B♯ Augmented chord contains B♯, D𝄪 and G♯ (B#, D## and G# 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 G♯ 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 G♯ is a black key and B♯ and D𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call C and E.
- How do you play B♯ Augmented on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 8: 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 C Augmented. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.