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The C#aug/Dbaug, Faug and Aaug chord

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For a general discussion on augmented chords, go to my Augmented chord page

These three chords have the same notes in them.
C#aug: C#-E#-Gx
Dbaug: Db-F-A
Faug: F-A-C#
Aaug: A-C#-E#.

We could say that C#aug = A aug in first inversion etc., but we do not care about this here. This is the reason for grouping them together. You simply play the same chord - it is a "Three in one" solution.

Do not get confused by different naming of notes. E# and F are enharmonic, as are C# and Db. An Gx is a G double sharp, which is enharmonic with A. It means that the notes sound the same, although they have different names. Go to the Augmented chord page for explanation of this naming.

There are really no proper open positions for augmented chords, even though you may use some open strings. In this chord you may play the open 5th string. It is possible to play some barré chords, but they are very hard to play and I have not included them. I have included only closed positions. You will see that the chords repeat themselves on every fourth fret, as we move up the neck. I have put all chords in a grid, where you can find the chord in different positions up the neck and across the strings.

Some general comments on chord-voicings and fingerings.

Too many guitarists think of chords as ways to place the fingers, and not as a way to get good sounding harmonies. If you are just strumming the chords, open chord voicings where you play all or almost all strings may be a good choice. To get access to more chords, you supplement with barré-chords. For rhythm guitar, particulary electric rhythm guitar, barré chords will often be a better choice left-hand damping is easier. But still you need to know how to play one chord in more than one position, to facilitate smooth chord changes. (You do not want to jump up and down between 3rd and 10th every time you chage a chord. Three-, four and five note voicings may not work very well in this context. You have to be very precise with your picking hand and/or be able to damp out the strings you do not want to play,and it requires som control. Skip-string voicings requirese precise damping, and are generally not a good choice.

If you are playing solos and chords, you should always know how to play the chord you are soloing over, close to where you are playing the solo. It makes it easier to get home if you are about to get lost in a solo. For more sophisticated fingerpicking, chord soloing and bass-line + chord style playing, it is crucial to know may chords. You should be able to play the right chord over any bass-note played anywhere on the neck, or you should be able to play the melody on top of any seqence of chords. The good chord-soloists play bass-lline, chords and melody – and they even improvise in that style. For this playing you need to know how to voice the chord with the right bass-note at the bottom and the right melody-note on top, without compromizing a sophisticated harmonic structure. Then the skip-string voicings maight become very handy, in addition to the other chords.

If you find some of the fingerings too difficult (they are all playable – I have tried all chords on these pages), go here for some tips on how to work your way around the problems.