Read left to right, 6th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the D string (4th).
- Middle finger on the 2nd fret of the A string (5th).
- Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string (6th).
- Little finger on the 3rd fret of the high E string (1st).
- Let the G and B strings ring open.
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th (low E) | fret 3 | ring | G2 | root |
| 5th (A) | fret 2 | middle | B2 | third |
| 4th (D) | fret 1 | index | D♯3 | sharp fifth |
| 3rd (G) | open | — | G3 | root |
| 2nd (B) | open | — | B3 | third |
| 1st (high E) | fret 3 | little | G4 | root |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
3 other ways to play Gaug
The same 3 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- xx5443A shape at the 3rd fret · four fingers
- xx5887A shape at the 5th fret · four fingers
- x-10-9-8-8-11A barre at the 8th fret and three more fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
32100x is Gaug without the full barre — fewer strings, the same chord. It is a real voicing, not a cheat, and plenty of players keep using it.
Holding it cleanly
2 strings ring open next to fretted ones. Arch the fingers so they come down on their tips — a finger lying flat will deaden the open string beside it, and the chord loses a note without sounding obviously wrong.
The notes in Gaug
A augmented chord is built from the root (1), 3 and ♯5 of its root’s major scale. From G that gives G – B – D♯. A major chord with its fifth raised a semitone. Its three notes are evenly spaced, so any of them can be the root.
The same root, other chords: G major, Gm, G7, Gmaj7, Gm7, Gsus2, Gsus4, Gdim.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a Gaug chord?
G augmented is three notes: G – B – D♯ — the root, 3 and ♯5 of the G major scale. On guitar the shape 321003 sounds G2, B2, D♯3, G3, B3 and G4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play Gaug on guitar?
The usual shape is 321003 — an open-position shape, with four fingers. If that is out of reach for now, 32100x is the same chord without the full barre.
What is the difference between Gaug and G?
One note. Gaug is G with its fifth raised a semitone, to D♯. The three notes are then exactly four semitones apart, so the chord has no clear root and sounds as if it is about to move — usually up, to the chord a fourth above.