Triads
D♯ augmented chord
Dreamy and suspenseful; the raised 5th keeps pushing forward.
- Notes
- D♯F𝄪A𝄪
- Formula
- 13♯5
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · augmented 5th
How to play D♯aug
About the D♯ augmented chord
Playing it
On guitar, D♯aug is one of the friendlier shapes: xx1003 needs just two fingers and lets the open strings ring. Don’t strum the low E and A strings.
On piano, D♯aug has one black key (D♯) and two white keys.
On ukulele the usual D♯aug shape is 0332, using three fingers.
Related chords
D♯aug is symmetrical — its notes are evenly spaced — so Gaug and Baug contain exactly the same notes. There are only four different-sounding augmented chords in all.
Move a single note and D♯aug becomes a different chord: lower A𝄪 to A♯ for D♯.
Where you’ll hear it
Notice the F𝄪 in D♯aug (D♯ F𝄪 A𝄪): each note of the chord takes its own letter (D–F–A), so the major 3rd has to be written F𝄪 rather than G — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
