#128081  by tcsned
 
A chord with all chord tones a major third apart. Like C-E-G# - a lot of 50s tunes used it, the first chord in School Days, the Beatles' Oh Darling. A good lead-in chord. An easy way to play one is to take the 4 string F chord shape (xx3211) and drop everything down a string (x3211x). Play that chord then a G major after it.
 #128082  by ebick
 
Start with a major scale and # 5th note.

So for C

your major scale is C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

your major chord is

C-E-G

C+ (augmented) would be

C-E-G#
 #128084  by tcsned
 
. . . and it's one of the three equidistant scales -
Like the whole tone and diminished all the notes are the same distance apart.
 #128086  by jeffm725
 
Pete,
Jerry's cover of "Its too late" has a juicy augmented chord in it. In fact its the first chord of the song!

Also C+ (Augs are written as "+" as Im sure you know) is part of the "Jerry Style" Dear Prudence walkdown.
 #128087  by rugger
 
Yup, raise the 5th for augmented, often denoted with a plus sign (+). Diminished chords--flat the 3rd and the 5th. Learn it!

Another nice sound is to augment the tonic. Try playing an open chord E for a bar and then E+ for a bar (using the F shape tscned mentioned x3211x). It will probably sound familiar to you.

It can also be used as a substitute in the 12th bar for the 5 chord in a blues. To clarify, instead of playing a dom7 5 chord play an augmented 5 chord.

john in san diego.
 #128088  by Pete B.
 
jeffm725 wrote:Pete,
Jerry's cover of "Its too late" has a juicy augmented chord in it. In fact its the first chord of the song!

Also C+ (Augs are written as "+" as Im sure you know) is part of the "Jerry Style" Dear Prudence walkdown.
Yes, It's too Late is like the first chord in the Allman Bros Stormy Monday.
Alot of songs use it as a passing chord like Dear Prudence also.
If you play that lick backwards you are basically playing "Because" by the Dave Clark Five.

I guess I'm wondering if there were any GD Member written songs with a blatent Augmented chord.
 #128099  by tigerstrat
 
A certain recurring Space lick comes to mind. :D
 #128100  by mkaufman
 
The augmented chord is used in a harmonic minor key (ie: not the Dorian mode of the major scale). The Dead played very few non-Dorian minor songs.

If you see a 7#9 chord (ie: E7#9), or when you have two major chords that are a half step apart (like F->E, or F -> E7#9), the augmented can come into play. (thinking of West LA Fadeway here).

I use it in Let It Grow during the Am jam.

mk
 #128101  by Tennessee Jedi
 
mkaufman wrote:
If you see a 7#9 chord (ie: E7#9), or when you have two major chords that are a half step apart (like F->E, or F -> E7#9), the augmented can come into play. (thinking of West LA Fadeway here).

mk
Is that the same kind of chord as the 1st chord of Golden Road ?
:?:
 #128105  by ebick
 
Till The Morning Comes has that E7+9 chord over "Tell You What I'll Do"
 #128109  by tigerstrat
 
The 9th is augmented (or sharp) in a 7+9 (R, 3, 5 b7,#9) but is different from an Aug triad (R, 3, #5).

In the 7#9 you are getting distinct dissonant flavors off the M7 interval between the 3 and the #9, whereas in the Aug, it is much more subtle, more like an ambiguity of its tightly wrapped ball of maj and minor 3rds. Aug is frequently a passing tone because it wants so much to resolve one way or the other... while Sharp 9 says "I 've broken free and am going THIS way!"