Read left to right, 4th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the G string (4th).
- Middle finger on the 3rd fret of the A string (1st).
- Let the C and E 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th (G) | fret 1 | index | G♯4 | sharp fifth |
| 3rd (C) | open | — | C4 | root |
| 2nd (E) | open | — | E4 | third |
| 1st (A) | fret 3 | middle | C5 | 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 Caug
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.
- 5443A shape at the 3rd fret · four fingers
- 5887A shape at the 5th fret · four fingers
- 9887A shape at the 7th fret · four fingers
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 Caug
A augmented chord is built from the root (1), 3 and ♯5 of its root’s major scale. From C that gives C – E – G♯. 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: C major, Cm, C7, Cmaj7, Cm7, Csus2, Csus4, Cdim.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a Caug chord?
C augmented is three notes: C – E – G♯ — the root, 3 and ♯5 of the C major scale. On ukulele the shape 1003 sounds G♯4, C4, E4 and C5, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play Caug on ukulele?
The usual shape is 1003 — an open-position shape, with two fingers. It is already about as easy as this chord gets.
What is the difference between Caug and C?
One note. Caug is C with its fifth raised a semitone, to G♯. 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.