F#aug Chord on Guitar
F#aug = F# – A# – D (Root, Major 3rd, Minor 6th)
F#aug raises the fifth of the plain major triad by a half step, and like the diminished chord's stack of minor thirds, the result is a symmetrical structure — this time built from equal major thirds — that behaves very differently from any triad built on uneven intervals.
F#-A#-D: root, major third, and augmented fifth, three notes that split the octave into exactly three equal major-third steps. That symmetry gives augmented chords a distinctive whole-tone, almost weightless quality — they don't resolve toward any single obvious target the way a diminished chord's dissonance does, because the chord is equally poised in three directions at once. F#aug most often appears as a chromatic embellishment of F# major, with the fifth sliding up briefly before settling back down, or as a substitute dominant leading somewhere unexpected via its symmetrical alternate spellings.
Fingerings
Barre (2nd fret)
How to Practice It
Fret plain F# major, then practice sliding the finger on the fifth up one fret to the augmented fifth and back down, since that quick raise-and-release move — mirroring how a sus4 resolves down to a plain third, but on the top of the chord instead — is the most common real-world use of the augmented color. Because the chord's symmetry means it can be reinterpreted as an augmented triad on A# or D just as validly, try naming the same fingering all three ways to build comfort with how flexible its function actually is.
Common Progressions
- F# – F#aug – Bm (I sliding its fifth up before resolving somewhere unexpected)
- D – F#aug – G (a chromatic passing use of the augmented color between two major chords)
- F#aug – B (a symmetrical dominant substitute resolving deceptively into B major)
- C#7 – F#aug – F# (using the augmented chord as an altered dominant color before the tonic)
FAQ
- What single change turns F# major into F#aug?
- The fifth (C#) is raised a half step to the augmented fifth (D), while the root and major third stay exactly where they are.
- Why is F#aug called a symmetrical chord?
- Its three notes are spaced by equal major-third intervals, splitting the octave into three identical parts, so the same triad shape can be thought of as rooted on F#, A#, or D with no structural difference between the three readings.
- Does F#aug need to resolve anywhere specific?
- Not in the way a dominant seventh does — its symmetry means it doesn't strongly point toward one particular chord, which is part of why composers use it for unpredictable, slightly disorienting harmonic motion rather than a standard cadence.
- Is F#aug common in guitar music?
- It's a color chord rather than a everyday one — heard more in jazz, film-scoring-influenced writing, and as a brief chromatic embellishment of a major chord than as a chord a whole progression is built around.
- How hard is F#aug to fret?
- It's a fairly compact shape without an unusually wide stretch, comparable in physical demand to the other altered triads in this family; the harder part is usually knowing where it fits musically rather than physically forming it.
F#aug on other instruments: F#aug on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.