Caug

C1E3G♯♯5

Two major thirds stacked. Symmetrical: every note can be heard as the root.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

5047

easy

Fig. 3

x047

easy

Fig. 4

544x

easy

Fig. 5

5443

moderate

Fig. 6

5447

hard

What is true of it

Caug is C, E and G♯ — 1, 3 and #5 counted from C.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is 5047: 3 fingers, held at the 4th fret.

None of them uses an open string, so this chord moves up the neck unchanged — the same shape 1 fret higher is the chord a semitone above.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are C, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

Caug/E

x443

second inversion

Caug/G♯

100x

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

C in other shapes

Cmajor Cmminor Cdimdiminished C5power chord Csus2suspended second Csus4suspended fourth

C♯aug D♭aug Daug D♯aug E♭aug Eaug Faug F♯aug all 374