In a descending line clichéD major
The descending line cliché: the fifth of the tonic rises a semitone, then falls into the third of the vi.
D Augmented Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D Augmented chord is built on the root note D. Its notes are D, F♯ and A♯.
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
- D · F♯ · A♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8
- Note
- D
- Quality
- Augmented
- Symbol
- D+
D 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 D Augmented on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on D, middle finger on F♯ and little finger on A♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯ and A♯ are black keys and D is white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- D1
- F♯3
- A♯♯5
D Augmented on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D Augmented is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 8. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
D · F♯ · A♯
Play D Augmented on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
D Augmented chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | F♯(F#) | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | A♯(A#) |
How to use the D Augmented chord
The D Augmented chord is built from a root, a major third and an augmented fifth. Start at the root D and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: D, F♯ and A♯. 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 D Augmented differs from similar chords
D+ raises the fifth of D by a half step, so it stacks two major thirds and has no perfect fifth at all. That makes it the mirror image of D°, 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 D 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 dominantG major
- V+D+
- IG
Raising the fifth of the dominant sharpens its pull into G.
Scales that contain D+
These scales include D+ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C♯ Neapolitan Major
C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯
D Lydian Augmented
D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯
D Enigmatic
D · E♭ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯
E Lydian Dominant
E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯ · D
F♯ Harmonic Major
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯ · D · E♯
F♯ Phrygian Dominant
F♯ · G · A♯ · B · C♯ · D · E
F♯ Gypsy Major
F♯ · G · A♯ · B · C♯ · D · E♯
F♯ Persian
F♯ · G · A♯ · B · C · D · E♯
F♯ Hindu
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯ · D · E
F♯ Arabian
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C · D · E
B Harmonic Minor
B · C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G · A♯
B Melodic Minor
B · C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D Augmented chord?
- The D Augmented chord contains D, F♯ and A♯ (D, F# and A# in plain text).
- Is the D Augmented chord major or minor?
- D 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 D Augmented on piano?
- Place your fingers on D, F♯ and A♯ 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 F♯ and A♯ are black keys and D is white.
- How do you play D Augmented on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 8. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
- What chords work well with D Augmented?
- D Augmented pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.