In a descending line clichéE♭ major
The descending line cliché: the fifth of the tonic rises a semitone, then falls into the third of the vi.
E♭ Augmented Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♭ Augmented chord is built on the root note E♭. Its notes are E♭, G and B. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♯ 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
- E♭ · G · B
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8
- Note
- E♭
- Quality
- Augmented
- Symbol
- E♭+
E♭ 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 E♭ Augmented on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E♭, middle finger on G and little finger on B. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ is a black key and G and B are 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.
- E♭1
- G3
- B♯5
E♭ Augmented on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E♭ 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.
E♭ · G · B
Try E♭ Augmented on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
E♭ Augmented chord notes
Also known as D♯ Augmented
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | G | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | B |
How to use the E♭ Augmented chord
The E♭ Augmented chord is built from a root, a major third and an augmented fifth. Start at the root E♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E♭, G and B. 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 E♭ Augmented differs from similar chords
E♭+ raises the fifth of E♭ by a half step, so it stacks two major thirds and has no perfect fifth at all. That makes it the mirror image of E♭°, 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 E♭ 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 dominantA♭ major
- V+E♭+
- IA♭
Raising the fifth of the dominant sharpens its pull into A♭.
Scales that contain E♭+
These scales include E♭+ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Harmonic Minor
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B
C Melodic Minor
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B
C Hungarian Minor
C · D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A♭ · B
C Neapolitan Major
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A · B
C Neapolitan Minor
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B
D Neapolitan Major
D · E♭ · F · G · A · B · C♯
E♭ Lydian Augmented
E♭ · F · G · A · B · C · D
E♭ Enigmatic
E♭ · F♭ · G · A · B · C♯ · D
F Lydian Dominant
F · G · A · B · C · D · E♭
G Harmonic Major
G · A · B · C · D · E♭ · F♯
G Phrygian Dominant
G · A♭ · B · C · D · E♭ · F
G Gypsy Major
G · A♭ · B · C · D · E♭ · F♯
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the E♭ Augmented chord?
- The E♭ Augmented chord contains E♭, G and B (Eb, G and B in plain text).
- Is the E♭ Augmented chord major or minor?
- E♭ 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 E♭ Augmented on piano?
- Place your fingers on E♭, G and B 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 E♭ is a black key and G and B are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play E♭ 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 E♭ Augmented chord?
- E♭ Augmented is enharmonically equivalent to D♯ Augmented. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.