Eaug Chord on Guitar
Eaug = E – G# – C (Root, Major 3rd, Minor 6th)
Eaug raises the fifth of the plain E-major triad a half step instead of shrinking it, producing another symmetrical shape — this one built from stacked major thirds — and because E sits in open position, this is the most accessible augmented chord anywhere in this whole shape family.
Three notes — E, G#, and C — spell this triad: root, major third, and a fifth pushed up a half step into augmented territory. Guitarists reach for it as an altered dominant, dropping it in wherever a plain E7 or E9 would otherwise resolve to A major, since the sharpened fifth gives that same landing a more chromatic, deliberate edge on the way there.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Compared with plain open E major, the hand has to add fingers on the A, D, and G strings, since the raised fifth doesn't overlap with anything already present in the triad. Worth remembering: because major-third symmetry underlies the whole chord, this identical fingering also names the augmented triads built on its other two notes, so one shape quietly does the work of three.
Common Progressions
- Eaug – A (an altered-dominant resolution, functioning like V+ – I)
- F#m – Eaug – A (vi – V+ – I)
- A – Eaug – A (a chromatic color move around the tonic)
- Bm – Eaug – A (ii – V+ – I)
FAQ
- Why is Eaug easier to play than D#aug?
- Eaug sits entirely in open position with generous string spacing, while D#aug barres the identical shape at the tight eleventh fret, making the open-position version noticeably more accessible despite the two chords sharing the exact same fingering pattern.
- How is Eaug different from plain E major?
- Only the fifth changes — pushed up a half step from its usual stable position — but that single alteration is enough to trade E major's settled character for a much more restless, chromatic-sounding chord.
- Where does Eaug typically resolve?
- It often substitutes for E7 or E9 as an altered dominant, resolving the same way those chords would — down a fourth to A major — but with extra chromatic tension leading into that resolution.
- Why is Eaug called a symmetrical chord?
- Its three notes are spaced in major thirds rather than the mixed major-and-minor-third stacking a normal triad uses, meaning the same three pitches can be read as an augmented triad built from any of its three notes.
- Is Eaug common in guitar-based songwriting?
- Less so than plain major, minor, or dominant chords, since its unusual chromatic color works best as a brief altered-dominant substitute rather than sustained harmony, appearing more often in jazz or deliberately adventurous progressions.
- How does the chord's symmetry play out on the fretboard?
- This exact fingering, played unchanged, also spells the augmented triads built on the chord's other two notes, meaning one memorized shape effectively teaches three different augmented chords depending on which note the surrounding harmony treats as the root.
- Does Eaug ever function as a passing chord rather than a dominant substitute?
- Yes — it can connect two chords a whole step apart using the raised fifth as a chromatic stepping stone, a technique with roots in classical voice-leading that carries over naturally into guitar-based arranging.
Eaug on other instruments: Eaug on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.