Augmented chords are to a piece of music like pepper is to a meal; you would never sit down to a meal

of pepper alone, but you might sprinkle a little on your food to liven up the taste a bit.

Augmented triads (triads are 3-note chords) are one of the 4 basic chord types, yet they are used very
little compared to major and minor chords.

There are four basic kinds of triads in music:

Major triads: composed of the root, major 3rd, and perfect 5th of a major scale.

Minor triads: composed of the root, minor 3rd, and perfect 5th of a major scale.

Diminished triads: composed of the root, minor 3rd, and diminished 5th of a major scale.

Augmented triads: composed of the root, major 3rd, and augmented 5th of a major scale.

As an example, the C major scale is:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

So a C major triad would be:

C, E, G
A minor triad would be:

C, Eb, G

A diminished triad would be:

C, Eb, Gb

An augmented triad would be:

C, E, G#Diminished chords, like major and minor chords, occur naturally in every key, and each key has
only one diminished chord.

Intervals in a Diminished Chord

A diminished chord is built similarly to a minor chord, except for its fifth. It consists of the following
intervals:

Root: The note upon which a chord is based, no matter its inversion. F# is the root of F#dim; B is the root
of Bdim, and so on.

Minor 3rd: An interval of three half steps above the root note (compared to four half steps with a major
third).
Diminished FifthDiminished Chords and Dissonance

The reason for a diminished chords bizarre sound is its tonal instability (or dissonance). The intervals
in a diminished triad, for example, are equally spaced there are three intervals between B-D, and also
between D-F and this lack of harmony within the chord is what causes the ear to seek tonal resolution.

In a minor chord, the perfect fifth is what provides resolution; but in a dim chord, the fifth has been
flattened. This leaves the chord with two intervals of 1.5 steps (minor thirds), stripping it of a focal-
point. Because diminished chords leave so much to be desired, they are often transitional, or used to
enhance musical climaxes.: Six half steps above the root (compared to seven half steps with a perfect
5th).