This chord has 4 voicings across the fretboard. Use the arrows to see each shape and fingering — and tap any dot on the diagram to hear that note.
Caug Guitar Chord
An augmented chord with a mysterious, unresolved tension. Caug creates an ethereal sound used in jazz and progressive music.
Also known as
- C+
- C +
- C aug
- Caugmented
- C augmented
How to Play This Chord
Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the strings, from low E (left) to high E (right), and the horizontal lines are the frets. Numbers inside the dots indicate which finger to use: 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky). An X means don't play that string; an O means play it open. A bar spanning multiple strings means one finger presses across all of them at once — this is known as a barre chord.
Tips & Tricks
The augmented triad is symmetrical too — the same shape repeats every four frets. The open-position Caug is based on the C major shape with the G string note raised by one fret. Its unusual, unresolved sound takes some getting used to, so practice moving into and out of it to hear how it functions.