The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Chapter 9:Chords 115

There are many different ways to indicate a diminished chord, as shown in the

following table:

Notation for Diminished Chords

Diminished Chord Notation Example

diminished C diminished

dimin C dimin

dim C dim

ºCº

Augmented Chords

An augmented chord is like a major chord with a raised fifth; thus an augmented
chord consists of a root, a major third, and an augmented (raised) fifth. This is

sometimes notated 1-3-
5.

For example, the C augmented chord includes the notes C, E, and G
.

Here’s a quick look at how to build augmented chords on every note of the
scale:

While it’s important to learn about diminished and augmented chords, you won’t

run into too many of them, especially in popular music. If you base the root of

your chord on the notes of a major scale, as you’ll learn in Chapter 10, only

the seventh degree triad forms a diminished chord. (Triads based on the other

degrees of the scale form major or minor chords.) There is no augmented chord

found on any degree of the major scale.

Note

Augmented triads.

There are many different ways to indicate an augmented chord, as shown in the
following table:

Notation for Augmented Chords

Augmented Chord Notation Example

augmented C augmented

aug C aug

+C+

Did you spot the double

sharp on the fifth of the B

augmented chord in the

illustration of augmented

chords?

Note