Skip to content
Home » TRIADS » Augmented » Eb aug Piano Chord – Charts, Harmony and Music Theory

Eb aug Piano Chord

    Piano Diagram of Eb aug in Root Position

    Eb Aug Chord Root Position Piano Diagram

    An Eb augmented chord is an augmented triad built upon the key of E-flat. To form an Eb augmented chord, you combine the root (Eb), the major 3rd (G), and the “augmented” 5th note (B) from the Eb scale. Keep reading to delve deeper into the music theory behind this chord.

     


    Structure of Eb aug

    Notes

    Eb, G, B

    Intervals

    R, 3, #5

     

    Fingers Position

    Left Hand

    4, 2, 1

    5, 3, 1

    Right Hand

    1, 2, 4

    1, 3, 5

     

    Eb aug Chord Inversions

     

    Eb aug has a total of 2 inversions:

    Root Position: Eb G B
    1st Inversion: G B Eb
    2nd Inversion: B Eb G

    Piano Keyboard Diagrams

    Inversions Equivalencies

    One interesting feature of augmented chords is that each inversion of the chord produces a different augmented chord. For example, if you take the first inversion of an Eb augmented chord, you get a G augmented chord. And if you take the second inversion of an Eb augmented chord, you get a B augmented chord.

    So, you only really need four different augmented chords to cover all the possible keys, because all the other augmented chords can be found by inverting these four chords.

     

    Distinct aug Chords Notes Root Position Enharmonic Inversions
    C aug C – E – G# C aug E aug G#/Ab aug
    C# aug C# – E# – Gx C#/Db aug F aug A aug
    D aug D – F# – A# D aug F#/Gb aug A#/Bb aug
    D# aug D# – Fx – Ax D#/Eb aug G aug B aug

     

    Notice how each of the four distinct augmented chords contains a unique combination of three notes, which can be rearranged into three different chord inversions. By utilizing these four chords and their inversions, it’s possible to cover all 12 keys. Keep in mind that the selection of C, C#, D, and D# is arbitrary, as you could use any other series of unique augmented chords to build them all.

     


    Music Theory and Harmony of Eb aug

     

    Augmented chords are typically found on the third degree of both the melodic and harmonic minor scales, where they are intended to function as mediant chords.

    C Melodic Minor Scale

    i ii III IV V vi vii
    C min D min Eb aug F Maj G Maj A dim B dim

    C Harmonic Minor Scale

    i ii III iv V vi vii
    C min D dim Eb aug F min G Maj A dim B dim

     

    However, in practice, they are not commonly used in this position. Instead, augmented chords are often used as a leading tone to resolve to a major or minor tonic chord.

    But before we explore the chords that can follow an Eb augmented chord, let’s take a closer look at how to build it.

     


    Building the Eb aug Chord: Different Approaches

     

    Starting from the Eb Major Scale

    Keeping as reference the major scale, build the augmented chord, which consists of the Root, major 3rd, and sharp 5th.

     

    Eb Major Diatonic Scale up to octave

    Eb Major Scale

     

    Eb Major Diatonic Scale up to octave Keyless Notation

    Eb Major Scale – Keyless Notation

     

    • Start from the root note Eb.
    • Add the major 3rd G.
    • Raise the 5th note, Bb by one half-step to get B.
    • Combine the root note Eb, the major 3rd G, and the augmented 5th B to form the Eb augmented chord.

    You can apply the formula R, 3, #5 to build any augmented chord.

     


    by Combining 3rds

    An augmented triad is a chord consisting of two stacked major 3rds.

    3 + 3 = aug Chords

    To build an augmented triad on E-flat, you would start from the root note Eb. Next, you would add a major third interval (four half steps) above Eb to get the note G. Finally, you would add another major third interval above G to get B.

    The resulting Eb augmented triad would consist of the notes Eb, G, and B.

     


    How to Use Eb aug in a Chord Progression

     

    Augmented chords can be used in different ways. One of the most common ways they’re used is through substitution, which means they can take the place of other chords. For example, augmented chords can be used as a substitute for dominant 7th chords. Additionally, they can also work as passing or transitional chords between other chords.

    Most of the time, an augmented triad functions as a variation of the dominant chord that resolves on a tonic chord five degrees under its root. However, it is worth mentioning all easy transitions possible starting from an Eb augmented chord. The harmonic structure of augmented chords makes possible to get many different chords just by shifting any of its notes by a half step, let’s see why:

     

    Resolving Eb aug to Major and minor Chords

    An augmented chord is made up of notes that are separated by a specific and constant distance from one another. In the case of an Eb augmented chord, the notes Eb, G, and B are separated by a “major 3rd” interval.

    It’s important to note that each note in the Eb augmented chord can act as a leading tone to transition to another chord that sounds good in the progression. This is because changing one of the notes in the augmented chord can create a different type of chord altogether.

    To form a major chord, you need to combine a “major 3rd” interval with a “minor 3rd” interval. Conversely, a minor chord is formed by using a “minor 3rd” interval followed by a “major 3rd” interval. Therefore, when you play an augmented chord, you can use each note in the chord to lead to a different type of chord, such as a major or minor chord, by changing the distance between the notes.

     


    Lowering One Note: from Eb aug to Major Chords

    The table below shows how lowering each note of the Eb aug chord can lead to three different major chords:

     

    aug Chord Lowered Note Resolving Chord Chord Shape
    Eb G B Eb D G B 2nd inversion of G Maj
    G D# F# B 1st inversion of B Maj
    B Eb G Bb Root position of Eb Maj

     

    If you lower one note in the E-flat augmented chord, you will end up creating a major chord from each of its notes. So Eb aug can transform into:

    • Eb Major or
    • G Major or
    • B Major

     


    Lowering Two Notes: from Eb aug to minor Chords

    Lowering two notes of an aug chord results in several minor chords. Let’s explore which minor chords can be derived from the Eb aug:

     

    aug Chord Lowered Notes Resolving Chord Chord Shape
    Eb G B G, B Eb Gb Bb Root position of Ebm
    Eb, B D G Bb 2nd inversion of Gm
    Eb, G D F# B 1st inversion of Bm

     

    Lowering two notes of an augmented chord creates three minor chords with the same root as the inversions of the augmented chord. This means that Eb aug can transform into:

    • Eb minor or
    • G minor or
    • B minor

    This can be useful in minor keys where the v degree is played as a V7 chord (borrowed from the harmonic minor scale). In this case, the Eb augmented chord can replace Eb7, G7, and B7 in minor keys.

    However, the best fit for Eb augmented is to substitute Eb7. When it’s played in place of G7 or B7, it’s actually an inversion of the better fit, G aug and B aug, respectively.

     


    Raising One Note: from Eb aug to minor Chords

    When you raise one note of an Eb aug chord, you get minor chords. The following table shows the three different minor chords that can be created from an Eb aug chord:

     

    aug Chord Raised Note Resolving Chord Chord Shape
    Eb G B Eb E G B Root position of Em
    G D# G# B 2nd inversion of G#m
    B Eb G C 1st inversion of Cm

     

    When we raise one note of an Eb augmented chord, we get:

    • E minor or
    • G# (Ab) minor or
    • B# (C) minor

     


    Raising Two Notes: from Eb aug to Major Chords

    Similarly, raising two notes of the Eb aug chord results in several major chords. Let’s take a look at which chords can be formed:

     

    aug Chord Raised Notes Resolving Chord Chord Shape
    Eb G B Eb, G E G# B Root position of E Maj
    G, B D# G# B# 2nd inversion of G# Maj
    Eb, B E G C 1st inversion of C Maj

     

    When we raise two notes of the Eb augmented chord, we can resolve it to three different chords:

    • E Major or
    • G# (Ab) Major or
    • B# (C) Major

     


    Eb aug as Dominant Chord

    As we have seen, Eb aug can be transformed into various minor and major chords simply by raising or lowering one or two notes. These tables show all the possible resolutions of the Eb augmented chord in major and minor keys, where it can be substituted for the V chord in a ii-V-I/i progression.

    Try these progressions and experiment with playing both the augmented and the dominant chords, or just the augmented chord. You can also try playing the dominant chord first, followed by the augmented chord, or vice versa.

     

    Eb aug in Major Keys
    Key V degree Substitution ii V I
    ii V+ I
    in Ab Major Eb7 Eb aug as Dominant (V+)  Bbm | Eb7 | Ab Maj Bbm | Eb aug (Eb7) | Ab Maj
    in C Major G7 Eb aug as Inversion of G aug Dm | G7 | C Maj Dm | Eb aug (G7) | C Maj
    in E Major* B7 Eb aug as Inversion of B aug Gbm | B7 | E Maj Gbm | Eb aug (B7) | E Maj
    in D Major A7 Tritone substitution Em | A7 | D Maj Em | Eb aug (A7) | D Maj

     

    • When an Eb augmented chord resolves to an Ab major, it is functioning as the V+ (augmented fifth) degree in the key of Ab major. This is the most common use of the Eb augmented chord as a substitute for the Eb7 chord, which creates a strong sense of tension and resolution in the context of an Ab major key.
    • In the keys of C major, Eb augmented can replace the V+ chord, which is G augmented. This is possible because Eb augmented is an inversion of G augmented that substitutes the G7 chord.
    • Similarly, B augmented, which is also an inversion of Eb augmented, can be substituted, but it’s usually better to use the augmented chord with the same root of the dominant chord instead of using an inversion.
    • The tritone substitution: By replacing a dominant 7th chord with another chord whose root is a tritone away, we can create a new harmonic color while maintaining the original function of the dominant chord. In the case of Eb augmented it can be used as a tritone substitution for A7 because the distance between Eb and A is a tritone (six half steps).

     

    Eb aug in minor Keys
    Key V degree Substitution ii V i ii V+ i
    in Ab minor Eb7 Eb aug as Dominant (V+) Bbø |Eb7 | Ab min Bbø | Eb aug (Eb7) | Ab min
    in C minor G7 Eb aug as Inversion of G aug Dø | G7 | C min Dø | Eb aug (G7) | C min
    in E minor B7 Eb aug as Inversion of B aug Gbø | B7 | E min Gbø | Eb aug (B7) | E min

     

    The Eb augmented chord can serve as a substitute for the dominant 7th chord in minor keys. It is a common practice to use a dominant 7th chord instead of the minor dominant chord typically found in natural minor keys. This substitution is derived from the harmonic minor scale and is widely used in natural minor key progressions.

    Since the Eb augmented chord shares the same notes as G augmented and B augmented, and because augmented chords can substitute for the dominant 7th chords built on their roots, it follows that Eb augmented, being an inversion of both G augmented and B augmented, can be used to replace G7 and B7 in their respective keys. However, it’s better to play the augmented chord with the same root as the dominant chord rather than playing an inversion.

     


    Eb aug Voice Leading

    Eb augmented can serve as a chromatic passing chord, allowing for smooth voice leading. It can also function as a pivot chord to modulate to a new key or be used as a substitute for the dominant chord to create a sense of tension and eventual resolution.

    I ii iii IV V vi vii
    Eb Maj F min G min Ab Maj Bb7 C min D dim

     

    I I+ IV
    I I+ IV
    Eb Maj Eb aug Ab Maj

     

    I I+ iv
    I I+ iv
    Eb Maj Eb aug Ab min

     

    I I+ VI
    I I+ vi
    Eb Maj Eb aug C min

     

    I I+ ii V
    I I+ ii V
    Eb Maj Eb aug F min Bb7

     


    Eb aug as Chromatic Modulation

    Using the Eb aug chord for chromatic modulation can add an interesting tonal color to your music. It is a popular technique used to add interest to a series of static measures on a single chord.

    I  I+ I6 I+ I
    I I+ I6 I+ I
    Eb Maj Eb aug Eb6 Eb aug Eb Maj

     


    Alternative Names for Eb aug

    • Eb+
    • Eb+5
    • Ebaug
    • Eb(#5)
    • Eb(5#)
    • Eb(5+)
    • Ebaug5
    • Eb(5aug)

     


     

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    INDEX