1. Root Mapping
Intervals: 1
Notes: C
GuitarArcanum
Caug guitar chord — root mapping, fingerings, arpeggios, triads, pentatonic, scales
Caug / Ionian #5
Setup
Chord Builder
Scale Options
Context
2. Chord (basic)
Chord (basic)
C shape
Caug
A shape
Caug
G shape
Caug
E shape
Caug
D shape
Caug
Chord Guide
An augmented triad — root, major 3rd and sharp 5th. A symmetric, hanging chord with no clear rest.
1 3 #5
The sharp 5th splits the octave into equal major thirds. Because it's symmetric, the chord has no clear center and pulls upward.
Mysterious, lifted and unstable — a whole-tone, floating color.
Most often a dominant with a raised 5th, or a passing chord pulling upward.
Jazz, classical, film. As a dominant or a chromatic passing chord.
- C – Caug – F
- G+ → C
- I – I+ – IV
The sharp 5th pulls upward, usually into the root or 3rd of the next chord.
Compact shapes from the 5th and 4th strings. Because it's symmetric, one shape repeats every four frets.
Don't treat it as a stable chord — it hangs and pulls. And don't confuse the #5 with a perfect 5th.
Play C – Caug – F — hear the sharp 5th pull upward.
Intervals: 1, 3, #5
Notes: C E G#
3. Arpeggio
Interval Scheme
Arpeggio intervals: 1-3-♯5
One-octave formula: 1-3-♯5
Full-Neck Arpeggio Diagram
Full Neck
Caug arpeggio map
Intervals: 1, 3, #5
Notes: C E G#
4. Pentatonic Framework
Caug Major Pentatonic
Pentatonic (1-2-3-5-6)
Intervals: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Notes: C D E G A
5. Full Scale / Mode
Base scales that define the chord sound.
Function-dependent scales; use with reharmonization context.
Caug Ionian #5
Ionian #5 (1-2-3-4-♯5-6-7)
Degree Harmony
Tap a chord on the wheel for a detailed function and chord breakdown
Ionian #5
ModalFormula: 1 2 3 4 #5 6 7
Ionian #5 keeps a major center but increases color through the raised fifth.
Main idea: Use #5 as a color tone while preserving the major tonal center.
Ionian #5
ModalFormula: 1 2 3 4 #5 6 7
Full explanation
Ionian Augmented is a major scale with a raised 5th. Its formula matches the third mode of harmonic minor: the major 3rd and major 7th retain a clear major outline, while #5 removes the normal stability of the tonic chord and turns it into maj7#5. The scale is used over augmented-major chords and in jazz or film writing that calls for a bright but distinctly unusual major sound.
The characteristic sound
Ionian Augmented is the third mode of the harmonic minor scale. It differs from ordinary Ionian by one degree: the perfect 5th is raised to #5. The major 3rd preserves the mode’s major quality, but the augmented 5th turns the tonic triad into an augmented chord and the tonic seventh chord into maj7#5. The scale contains an augmented 2nd between 4 and #5, followed by a semitone between #5 and 6. Because it has no perfect 5th, its tonic sonority is less stable than an ordinary major triad. Its defining degree is #5.
Degrees and functions
1 — tonic: the modal center and the root of the augmented I triad and Imaj7#5 seventh chord.
2 — major 2nd / 9th: the root of the minor ii chord; over the tonic chord it can function as a 9.
3 — major 3rd: establishes the mode’s major quality and belongs to both I+ and Imaj7#5.
4 — perfect 4th / 11th: the root of the major IV chord; it forms an augmented 2nd with #5 and a semitone clash with the major 3rd.
#5 — augmented 5th: the defining degree of the mode. It replaces the ordinary perfect 5th, belongs to the augmented tonic chord, and serves as the root of the diminished chord built on the raised 5th degree.
6 — major 6th / 13th: lies a semitone above #5, serves as the root of the minor vi chord, and is also the tonic of the relative harmonic minor scale.
7 — major 7th / leading tone: belongs to Imaj7#5, lies a semitone below the tonic, and tends to resolve upward to 1.
Diatonic chords
Harmonizing the scale in triads produces:
I+ — augmented; ii — minor; III — major; IV — major; #v° — diminished; vi — minor; vii° — diminished.
The diatonic seventh chords are Imaj7#5, ii7, III7, IVmaj7, #v°7, vi(maj7), and viiø7.
Unlike the ordinary major scale, Ionian Augmented has no major V chord built on a perfect 5th because the natural 5 is absent. Instead, the scale contains #5, which supports a diminished seventh chord. The III chord is a dominant seventh chord and naturally resolves to vi, the tonic of the relative harmonic minor scale.
In C Ionian Augmented, the triads are Caug Dm E F G#dim Am Bdim; the seventh chords are Cmaj7#5 Dm7 E7 Fmaj7 G#dim7 Am(maj7) Bm7b5.
Where it is used
The mode is used primarily over augmented major seventh chords, maj7#5, because its degrees 1 3 #5 7 exactly match the notes of that chord. It can also be used over an augmented triad when the surrounding harmony supports the natural 2, 4, 6, and 7. The mode appears in harmony and melodic material derived from harmonic minor: for example, C Ionian Augmented contains the same notes as A harmonic minor. It is not a general substitute for the major scale over every major chord, since its raised 5th conflicts with a chord containing a natural 5. Because the perfect 5th is absent, the mode is more commonly used as a specific color over maj7#5 than as the basis of conventional functional major-key harmony.
Related scales
Ionian Augmented is the third mode of harmonic minor. Its relative harmonic minor begins on the mode’s 6th degree: C Ionian Augmented and A harmonic minor contain the same notes, C D E F G# A B. The other modes of the same parent scale are Harmonic Minor, Locrian ♮6, Dorian #4, Phrygian Dominant, Lydian #2, and Ultralocrian.
Its closest parallel mode is ordinary Ionian, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which differs only by having a perfect 5th instead of #5. Lydian Augmented has the formula 1 2 3 #4 #5 6 7 and differs only by its raised 4th. Ionian Augmented should also not be confused with Ionian b6, or harmonic major: that scale contains a natural 5 and b6, rather than #5 and a natural 6.
How to improvise
Over maj7#5, begin with the chord tones 1 3 #5 7, especially #5: without it, the line can easily sound like ordinary major. Degree 2 can be used as the 9th. The natural 4 and 6 require careful handling: 4 lies a semitone above the major 3rd, while 6 lies a semitone above #5, so sustaining either note can obscure or weaken the identity of the maj7#5 chord. They work well as passing or neighboring tones that return to 3, #5, or 7.
To emphasize the scale’s structure, use the augmented-2nd motion 4–#5, the semitone motion 6–#5, and the leading-tone resolution 7–1. When the harmony moves through chords of the relative harmonic minor, target the notes of each current chord rather than treating the Ionian Augmented 1 as the center of the entire progression.
Essence
Ionian Augmented is a major mode with a raised 5th and the third mode of harmonic minor. Its tonic foundation is an augmented triad or maj7#5 chord, and its defining sound is #5. The major 3rd and major 7th preserve a major framework, but the missing perfect 5th and the augmented 2nd between 4 and #5 separate it from ordinary Ionian. It is a specialized mode for augmented major harmony rather than a standard major scale.
Click a chord to open its degree breakdown below. Hover any wedge for its key signature.
PredominantColor
This scale has no clean diatonic slice — off-circle chords: I Cmaj7#5.
Iroot C · degree 1
Root of the maj7#5 tonicThis is the home note of the mode and the root of Imaj7#5. The major 3rd keeps the chord’s major identity intact, while the raised 5th makes it less settled than an ordinary Imaj7. Repeating I in the bass and returning to it at phrase endings helps establish it as the tonic. Over this chord, I, III, and VII provide the clearest points of rest, while #V usually invites further motion. Placing the tonic beside the mode’s ordinary major or minor chords makes its augmented structure especially easy to hear.
Secondary dominant
G7
Tritone sub (secondary dominant)
Db7
IIroot D · degree 2
2nd and 9thOver Imaj7#5, this note works as a natural 9th without adding another alteration. It suits sustained melodies and simple stepwise figures between I and III. It is also the root of the minor ii chord available within the mode. Because ii uses only unaltered chord shapes from the scale, it provides a brief contrast to the tense augmented tonic. In ii–I motion, several voices can move by step and keep the connection between the chords smooth.
Secondary dominant
A7
Tritone sub (secondary dominant)
Eb7
IIIroot E · degree 3
Major 3rdThis note gives Imaj7#5 its major quality. Without it, the combination of I and #V would remain harmonically ambiguous, while the major 3rd states the chord clearly. Placing III near #V in a melody also exposes the tonic chord’s unusual structure. III is a secure resting note over Imaj7#5 because it is a primary chord tone rather than an added tension. It is also the root of a major chord, reinforcing the mode’s major side.
Secondary dominant
B7
Tritone sub (secondary dominant)
F7
IVroot F · degree 4
4th and 11thIn melodies, this note is commonly used as a passing tone between III and #V. Over Imaj7#5 it becomes the 11th and sits a semitone above the chord’s major 3rd. If III is sustained in the accompaniment, IV is best kept brief unless the voicing deliberately makes room for it. A regular major chord is built on IV, where the same note becomes a fully stable root. The degree can therefore sound abrasive over I but settled as soon as the harmony moves to IV.
Secondary dominant
C7
Tritone sub (secondary dominant)
Gb7
#Vroot G# · degree ♯5
Raised 5thThis is the defining note of the mode, changing an ordinary Imaj7 into Imaj7#5. It needs to be clearly present in the chord or melody; otherwise the scale can sound like regular major. Since VI lies only a semitone above, #V–VI provides an especially direct melodic continuation. The reverse motion VI–#V can emphasize a return to the augmented tonic chord. Sustaining #V over a bass note of I exposes the unmistakable tension of the augmented triad rather than the stability of a perfect 5th.
Secondary dominant
D#7
Tritone sub (secondary dominant)
A7
VIroot A · degree 6
6th and 13thOver Imaj7#5, this note functions as the natural 13th. It sits one semitone above #V and therefore receives that note’s upward motion very naturally. It is also the root of the minor vi chord, which provides a more familiar sonority within a progression. VI can be sustained as an upper note over Imaj7#5 when the voicing leaves enough room below VII. In vi–I motion, III can remain as a common tone while the other voices return to the augmented tonic by short steps.
Secondary dominant
E7
Tritone sub (secondary dominant)
Bb7
VIIroot B · degree 7
Major 7th and leading toneThis note is the major 7th of Imaj7#5 and sits one semitone below I. Moving VII to I identifies the tonic clearly even when the raised 5th makes the chord unfamiliar. Holding VII instead preserves the distinctive tension of the maj7#5 sound. In the descending line VII–VI–#V, the major 7th leads gradually toward the mode’s characteristic raised 5th. The diminished chord built on VII can serve as a brief transition back to I or into a neighboring harmony.
Secondary dominant
F#7
Tritone sub (secondary dominant)
C7
Intervals: 1, 2, 3, 4, #5, 6, 7
Notes: C D E F G# A B
6. Open Triads
Only the triad tones of the chord are shown; to see the upper tones of the full chord, tap “Highlight upper chord tones”.
Open Triads
Root
Strings 6-4-3
Root
Strings 5-3-2
Root
Strings 4-2-1
Root
1st inversion
Strings 6-4-3
1st inversion
Strings 5-3-2
1st inversion
Strings 4-2-1
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Strings 6-4-3
2nd inversion
Strings 5-3-2
2nd inversion
Strings 4-2-1
2nd inversion
Intervals: 1, 3, #5
Notes: C E G#
7. Closed Triads / Nearby Inversions
Only the triad tones of the chord are shown; to see the upper tones of the full chord, tap “Highlight upper chord tones”.
Closed Triads
Root
Strings 6-5-4
Root
Strings 5-4-3
Root
Strings 4-3-2
Root
Strings 3-2-1
Root
1st inversion
Strings 6-5-4
1st inversion
Strings 5-4-3
1st inversion
Strings 4-3-2
1st inversion
Strings 3-2-1
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Strings 6-5-4
2nd inversion
Strings 5-4-3
2nd inversion
Strings 4-3-2
2nd inversion
Strings 3-2-1
2nd inversion
Intervals: 1, 3, #5
Notes: C E G#