Chords
Eb Augmented
Eb · G · B
The augmented triad — two stacked major thirds, splitting the octave into three equal parts.
Also written Eb+ · Eb+5 · Eb^#5
Eb Augmented
Eb · G · B
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Eb3 · G3 · B3 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Eb Augmented (Ebaug) contains the notes Eb · G · B, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of Eb Augmented puts a chord tone other than Eb in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Eb Augmented belongs to.
In which keys
Eb Augmented is diatonic to 3 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Eb Augmented fits inside these scales, each built on Eb.
- Eb Whole ToneEb · F · G · A · B · C#
- Eb AlteredEb · Fb · F# · G · A · Cb · Db
- Eb Phrygian DominantEb · Fb · G · Ab · Bb · Cb · Db
- Eb Harmonic MajorEb · F · G · Ab · Bb · Cb · D
- Eb Flat Six PentatonicEb · F · G · Bb · Cb
- Eb AugmentedEb · F# · G · Bb · B · D
- Eb Six Tone SymmetricEb · Fb · G · Ab · B · C
- Eb Double Harmonic LydianEb · Fb · G · A · Bb · Cb · D
Understanding the Eb Augmented chord
Names and symbols
Ebaug is the chord symbol for Eb Augmented; it is also written Eb+, Eb+5, Eb^#5.
How it is built
On Eb it is Eb · G · B: 1P · 3M · 5A. The fifth is raised a semitone, which makes both thirds major and the whole chord symmetrical.
How it is used
Like the diminished seventh its symmetry means it belongs to no key, so it functions as a pivot or as a moment of suspension. As an altered dominant (the ♯5) it sharpens the pull toward resolution.
In a rising inner-voice cliché — I, I+, I6, I7 — it is the second chord, where one voice climbs chromatically while everything else stays put.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Ebaug?
- Ebaug contains Eb · G · B. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- How do you build an augmented chord?
- Stack two major thirds: root, major third, augmented fifth.
- How many different augmented triads are there?
- Four. The chord splits the octave into three equal parts, so the twelve roots produce only four distinct note sets.
- What notes are in the Eb Augmented chord?
- The Eb Augmented chord contains the notes Eb · G · B: the root Eb with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5A stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Eb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Eb Augmented chord?
- Measured from Eb, the Eb Augmented chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5A. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.