In a descending line clichéF♯ major
The descending line cliché: the fifth of the tonic rises a semitone, then falls into the third of the vi.
F♯ Augmented Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♯ Augmented chord is built on the root note F♯. Its notes are F♯, A♯ and C𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♭ 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
- F♯ · A♯ · C𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8
- Note
- F♯
- Quality
- Augmented
- Symbol
- F♯+
F♯ 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 F♯ Augmented on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♯, middle finger on A♯ and little finger on C𝄪. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯ and A♯ are black keys and C𝄪 is white, the key you'd normally call D. 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.
- F♯1
- A♯3
- C𝄪♯5
F♯ Augmented on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♯ Augmented is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
F♯ · A♯ · C𝄪
Try F♯ Augmented on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♯ Augmented chord notes
Also known as G♭ Augmented
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♯(F#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A♯(A#) | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | C𝄪(C##) |
How to use the F♯ Augmented chord
The F♯ Augmented chord is built from a root, a major third and an augmented fifth. Start at the root F♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♯, A♯ and C𝄪. 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 F♯ Augmented differs from similar chords
F♯+ raises the fifth of F♯ by a half step, so it stacks two major thirds and has no perfect fifth at all. That makes it the mirror image of F♯°, 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 F♯ 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 dominantB major
- V+F♯+
- IB
Raising the fifth of the dominant sharpens its pull into B.
Scales that contain F♯+
These scales include F♯+ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
F♯ Lydian Augmented
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪 · D♯ · E♯
F♯ Enigmatic
F♯ · G · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪 · D𝄪 · E♯
D♯ Harmonic Minor
D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C𝄪
D♯ Melodic Minor
D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪
D♯ Hungarian Minor
D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G𝄪 · A♯ · B · C𝄪
D♯ Neapolitan Major
D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪
D♯ Neapolitan Minor
D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C𝄪
E♯ Neapolitan Major
E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪 · D𝄪
G♯ Lydian Dominant
G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪 · D♯ · E♯ · F♯
A♯ Harmonic Major
A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪 · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G𝄪
A♯ Phrygian Dominant
A♯ · B · C𝄪 · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯
A♯ Gypsy Major
A♯ · B · C𝄪 · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G𝄪
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♯ Augmented chord?
- The F♯ Augmented chord contains F♯, A♯ and C𝄪 (F#, A# and C## in plain text).
- Is the F♯ Augmented chord major or minor?
- F♯ 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 F♯ Augmented on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♯, A♯ and C𝄪 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 C𝄪 is white, the key you'd normally call D. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play F♯ Augmented on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 2: 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 F♯ Augmented chord?
- F♯ Augmented is enharmonically equivalent to G♭ Augmented. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.