Guitar chords · Augmented
A♭+ chord on guitar (Abaug)
A♭+ (A♭ A chord with a major 3rd and a raised 5th, written +. Its notes split the octave into three equal parts.) has three notes: A♭, C and E, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3 and ♯5.
Shapes
How to play A♭+
Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7.; the other numbers are the chord tones.
A♭+ has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 4 or the A shape at fret 11. A A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major. keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., on the lowest played string, names the chord.
E shape · fret 4
A shape · fret 11
Notes and formula
What makes A♭+ augmented
An A chord with a major 3rd and a raised 5th, written +. Its notes split the octave into three equal parts. chord raises the 5th of a major chord by a The smallest distance in Western music: one fret on the guitar, such as E to F or F to F♯.. Its notes split the The distance of twelve half steps, where a note comes round to the same name. Twelve frets up a string is an octave. into three equal parts, which gives it a floating, unsettled sound that wants to move on.
- 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
- 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
- 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.
The 3rd and the ♯5th make A♭+ an A chord with a major 3rd and a raised 5th, written +. Its notes split the octave into three equal parts. chord.
- A♭Rroot
- C3essential
- E♯5essential
- A♭, the root
- Other chord tones
A♭+ is usually a passing chord: its raised 5th climbs on, as in A♭, A♭+, D♭ or A♭, A♭+, Fm. Its three notes are evenly spaced, so the same shape is also C+ and E+.
A♭+ and G♯+ are the same chord with two names: same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step., same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.
Keys
Keys with A♭+
A♭+ belongs to one key: F minor (III+, The natural minor scale with its 7th raised a half step, which makes the V chord major and gives it a strong pull home.).
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Slash chords
A♭+ over another bass note
A A chord with a different note in the bass, written after a slash: C/E is a C chord with E as its lowest note. The letter after the slash is the bass. keeps A♭+ on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.
- A♭+/C
A♭+ with its 3rd, C, in the bass: the first inversion.
- A♭+/E
A♭+ with its ♯5th, E, in the bass: the second inversion.
Same root
Other chords on G♯ / A♭
Change one or two notes and the same The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7. gives a different colour. Compare them by ear.
- A♭ major
- G♯m minor
- A♭7 dominant 7th
- A♭maj7 major 7th
- G♯m7 minor 7th
- A♭sus2 suspended 2nd
- A♭sus4 suspended 4th
- A♭6 major 6th
- G♯m6 minor 6th
- A♭add9 add 9
- A♭9 dominant 9th
- A♭maj9 major 9th
- G♯m9 minor 9th
- A♭13 dominant 13th
- A♭maj13 major 13th
- G♯m11 minor 11th
- G♯° diminished
- G♯m7♭5 half-diminished 7th
- G♯°7 diminished 7th
- A♭5 power chord
- A♭7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th
- G♯m(maj7) minor major 7th
- A♭6/9 six-nine
- G♯m(add9) minor add 9
- A♭7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th
Questions
A♭+, in short
- What notes are in the A♭+ chord?
- A♭+ (A♭ A chord with a major 3rd and a raised 5th, written +. Its notes split the octave into three equal parts.) has three notes: A♭, C and E, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3 and ♯5.
- How do you play A♭+ on guitar?
- A♭+ has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the E shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 4 or the A shape at fret 11.
- What key is A♭+ in?
- A♭+ belongs to one key: F minor (III+, The natural minor scale with its 7th raised a half step, which makes the V chord major and gives it a strong pull home.).
- Is A♭+ the same as G♯+?
- Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. A♭+ is the spelling in F minor. No key on the circle spells it G♯+, so you will rarely see that name.