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