A musical mirror that reveals our world in an unusual manner, the augmented chord transports us into realms of sound-induced wonderment and mystery. This chord’s characteristic sound derives from its raised fifth tone; raising above perfect fifth resolution before eventually reaching major sixth resolution.
Today’s lesson will cover an F augmented chord in its 2nd inversion using a piano chord chart for both treble and bass clef piano chords.
Root Note
The F augmented chord is a three-note chord composed of the notes F, A# and C## and is also commonly known as Faug, A#aug or C##aug. This chord belongs to a larger class known as F sharp augmented triad chords which also includes A#aug, C##aug and F#aug chords.
Augmented chords are constructed using intervals of major thirds, creating a staircase from familiarity into the unfamiliar world of augmentation. Their allure lies in this sense of elevation from mundane existence into extraordinary augmentation – each note as an open doorway into another reality! Under the skillful fingers of an expert pianist, these chords become like keys that unlock otherworldly adventures; opening doors into realms previously unseen or unknown.
To play an F augmented chord on piano, we must first establish which note serves as its root. To do this we can refer to figured bass notation which illustrates each interval between the lowest (bass) note of a chord and each note that makes up its root; since we are dealing with an augmented second inversion chord using C#-aug interval notes as references, 6 stands for Note A from C#-aug interval.
Once we know which note serves as the root, the next step in developing a chord is identifying its voicing. An easy way of doing so is looking at its triad voicing in F and seeing what structure and playing style it exhibits.
Right handers should learn where their fingers should go on the fretboard: thumb on F, index finger on A, middle finger on C#; left handers should place thumb on A while C# should go between middle and pinky; this allows us to press down F note more easily.
Once we’ve determined the voicing of a chord, we can move on to learning how to play it on piano. While the left hand may seem straightforward and only requires placing fingers into their proper places, right hand requires slight modifications as thumb remains on F but index finger changes to A and middle finger goes to C#.
Major Third
The F augmented chord stands out as one of the more distinctive chords in music, combining a major third with an augmented fifth to form something chromatic and expressive. Composers and songwriters commonly employ it to add tension or propel forward musical pieces at key moments; Dixieland jazz also frequently employs it.
Augmented chords don’t fall naturally within the diatonic scale, giving them a slightly less straightforward purpose than their major and minor counterparts. Their symmetrical structure means any note can serve as the root note, making modulations and transitions simpler to execute.
As a musician, the F Augmented Chord can be an invaluable asset in your toolkit as it can be played in a variety of positions. We’ve included chord diagrams below as well as an interactive piano chart showing what each position looks like for this chord – commonly abbreviated as Faug
Step one in understanding an F augmented chord is looking at its chord quality table above, noting which note intervals it utilizes, to gain a better idea of its composition and identify it within your music. We will then go through each augmented chord type individually so you can learn about their use within music composition.
Each chord quality is created by combining several triad chord qualities together, and has its own set of note intervals that define its sound. In the next step of this lesson we’ll take a look at these note intervals and demonstrate how to calculate root notes using the diagram created in step two.
As we move onto our final step, we will go through some examples of common augmented chords to demonstrate their use in real world situations. At the conclusion of this step, you should have an improved understanding of how and why to utilize f augmented chords within music harmony.
Augmented Fifth
At times it can be refreshing to add an exotic flourish to your chord progressions, and augmented chords provide the ideal way to do just that. Their grandiose fifths create an air of grandeur that elevates simple melodies to new musical heights.
An augmented fifth is created by widening the interval between two notes in a triad by widening by one semitone chromatically. For instance, C-G interval is typically considered a perfect fifth with seven semitones between them; when this interval is expanded using an augmented fifth it becomes an eighth semitone greater in duration, which creates major sixth chords such as Lydian with raised fifth (C-D-E-F#-A#). Augmented fifths can also be found within secondary heptatonic scale used to form chords such as Lydian chords that use an expanded interval (C-D-E-F#-A#).
The F-augmented chord utilizes the root, major third and sharp fifth of F major as its basis; as such it belongs to secondary heptatonic scale, joining minor seventh, diminished fourth and primary triad chords as members of secondary heptatonic scale.
Augmented chords’ chromatic structure allows them to add tension to music that would otherwise sound more stable. They can also create an almost haunting quality as their fifths lie closer to subtonic scale than tonic scale.
At first, learning an augmented chord may seem intimidating for beginners. With practice and listening to popular music for examples of augmented chords and trying to identify them, your ear will adapt and soon you’ll be able to recognize these unique harmonic structures when they pop up in songs you like.
Now that you understand the fundamentals of an augmented chord, take a cue from David Bowie and experiment with placing them strategically within your compositions or follow in the footsteps of The Beatles and use them to give melodies an outer spacey vibe – you might just be amazed at the results!
Major Triad
Major triads are three-note chords composed of the root, third and fifth notes in a scale. An F augmented chord, also referred to as Faug chord, is a major chord with an enhanced (raised or sharpened) fifth note for added power and intensity. When used together with other F chords they can produce an unsettling and mysterious tone when played at once.
An augmented (or raised) fifth is a common element in many chord types, particularly triads, where it serves to create tension within a chord and can lead to other chords such as dominant seventh or major seventh chords.
Augmented chords differ from their unaugmented counterparts in that the bass or triad root note has an extra step above it, which may make playing them in certain keys more difficult as this raises its position by an octave.
To address this problem, some players choose enharmonic equivalence when reformulating triad chords. This process involves shifting their original lowest pitch up an octave above its usual position – and can then be played in any key.
Augmented chords may not be as popular as their major and minor triad counterparts, but they have an extraordinary charm that sets them apart. This mystique comes from augmenting fifth, giving an amplified sound and functioning as a leading tone. Augmented triads are rebellious by nature, challenging musical conventions while defying expectations with unconventional composition.