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𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as E♭ 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
- D♯ · F𝄪 · A𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8
- Note
- D♯
- Quality
- Augmented
- Symbol
- D♯+
D♯ 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 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 D♯ is a black key and F𝄪 and A𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call G and B. 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.
- D♯1
- F𝄪3
- A𝄪♯5
D♯ Augmented on guitar
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 6 and 9. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
D♯ · F𝄪 · A𝄪
Try D♯ Augmented on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
D♯ Augmented chord notes
Also known as E♭ Augmented
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♯(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
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key D♯ 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 D♯+
These scales include D♯+ 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 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 D♯ is a black key and F𝄪 and A𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call G and B. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play D♯ Augmented on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 6 and 9. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
- What is another name for the D♯ Augmented chord?
- D♯ Augmented is enharmonically equivalent to E♭ Augmented. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.