Augmented triad
Encyclopedia
In music
, an augmented triad is a triad
, or chord
, consisting of two major third
s (an augmented fifth
). The term augmented triad arises from an augmented triad being a three note chord, or triad, whose top note is raised, or augmented (in comparison to a major chord
). It can be represented by the integer notation {0, 4, 8}.
, such as C-E-G, contains a major third
(C-E) then a minor third (E-G), with the interval of the fifth (C-G) being "perfect", the augmented triad sharpens
that fifth (to an augmented fifth
), becoming C-E-G.
If an octave from the root is added, the resulting chord (C-E-G-C) contains also a diminished fourth (G-C); this is the enharmonic
equivalent of a major third, so the full-octave chord is, in effect, three major thirds.
In just intonation
, the interval between two major thirds and an octave, 2/(5/4)2, is 32/25, which is flatter by a septimal kleisma
of size 225/224 than the septimal major third
with ratio 9/7. While septimal meantone temperament
tempers out the septimal kleisma, some other temperaments, for example miracle temperament
, do so also, and in all of these temperaments the augmented triad may be identified with a circle of two major and one septimal major thirds, making up an octave.
The augmented triad on the fifth scale degree
may be used as a substitute
dominant, and may also be considered as III+, for example in C: V+ = G-B-D, III+ = E-G-B, and since in every key: D = E, they are the same three pitches.
Examples of popular music
songs featuring the augmented chord include its introductory
use in Chuck Berry
's "School Days
", Aaron Neville
's "Tell It Like It Is
", The Beatles
' "Oh Darling!
", after intros in Gene Pitney
's "Town Without Pity
", Beach Boys' "The Warmth of the Sun
", Joe Cocker
's "Delta Lady", at the end of the bridge
in Patience and Prudence
's "Tonight You Belong to Me", The Caravelles
' "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry
", The Beatles' "From Me to You
", The Dave Clark Five
's "Glad All Over
", and Martha and the Vandellas
' "Dancing in the Street
", and as a chromatic passing function over the first degree, the fifth rising to 5 then 6 harmonized as IV, as in Jay and the Americans
' "Some Enchanted Evening
", Lesley Gore
's "It's My Party
" (I—I+—IV—iv) (see also minor major seventh chord
), Herman's Hermits
' "There's a Kind of Hush
" (continues to 7 harmonized by Im7), by ii Roy Orbison
's "Crying
", followed by 6—6—5 motion in "Crying", The Guess Who
's "Laughing", Dave Clark Five's "Because
" (verse: I—I+—vi—Im7...ii and cadence on V+), The Monkees
' "Tapioca Tundra" (I—I+—vi, and V+ after bridge). Though rare, the augmented chord occurs in rock music
, "almost always as a linear embellishment linking an opening tonic chord with the next chord," for example John Lennon
's "(Just Like) Starting Over
" and the Beatles' "All My Loving
". Thus with an opening tonic chord an augmented chord results from ascending or descending movement between the fifth and sixth
degrees, such as in the chord progression I—I+—vi.
, the minor triad
, and the diminished triad
) in that it does not naturally arise in a diatonic scale
. Although it could be conceptualized as a triad built on the third degree of a harmonic minor scale or melodic minor scale, it virtually never occurs in this way (since any chord on the third degree is itself rare, usually being a new tonic).
This makes the augmented triad a special chord that touches on the atonal. Its uses to 'suspend' tonality are famous; for example, in Liszt
's Faust Symphony
and in Wagner's Siegfried Idyll
. However, the augmented triad occurs in tonal music, with a perfectly tonal meaning, since at least Bach (see the first chord [m. 2] in the opening chorus to his cantata Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, BWV 2) and Haydn (see, for example, the Trio from Haydn's String Quartet Op. 54/2). It results diatonically in minor mode from a dominant chord where the fifth (the second degree) is replaced by the third degree, as an anticipation of the resolution chord. Beethoven's 9th symphony features such a chord at key moments in the slow movement. Brahms's Tragic Overture
also features the chord prominently (A-C-F), in alternation with the regular dominant (A-C-E). In this example one can also see other aspect of the appeal of the chord to composers: it is a 'conflation' of the fifth degree and the third degree, the usual contrasting keys of a piece in the minor mode.
With the lead of Schubert (in his Wanderer Fantasy
), Romantic composers started organizing many pieces by descending major thirds, which can be seen as a large-scale application of the augmented triad (although it probably arose from other lines of development not necessarily connected to the augmented triad). This kind of organization is common; in addition to Schubert, it is found in music of Liszt, Rimsky-Korsakov, Louis Vierne
and Wagner, among others.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, an augmented triad is a triad
Triad (music)
In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:* the Root...
, or chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
, consisting of two major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
s (an augmented fifth
Augmented fifth
In classical music from Western culture, an augmented fifth is an interval produced by widening a perfect fifth by a chromatic semitone. For instance, the interval from C to G is a perfect fifth, seven semitones wide, and both the intervals from C to G, and from C to G are augmented fifths,...
). The term augmented triad arises from an augmented triad being a three note chord, or triad, whose top note is raised, or augmented (in comparison to a major chord
Major chord
In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...
). It can be represented by the integer notation {0, 4, 8}.
Harmonic considerations
Whereas a major triadMajor chord
In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...
, such as C-E-G, contains a major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
(C-E) then a minor third (E-G), with the interval of the fifth (C-G) being "perfect", the augmented triad sharpens
Sharp (music)
In music, sharp, dièse , or diesis means higher in pitch and the sharp symbol raises a note by a half tone. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
that fifth (to an augmented fifth
Augmented fifth
In classical music from Western culture, an augmented fifth is an interval produced by widening a perfect fifth by a chromatic semitone. For instance, the interval from C to G is a perfect fifth, seven semitones wide, and both the intervals from C to G, and from C to G are augmented fifths,...
), becoming C-E-G.
If an octave from the root is added, the resulting chord (C-E-G-C) contains also a diminished fourth (G-C); this is the enharmonic
Enharmonic
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently...
equivalent of a major third, so the full-octave chord is, in effect, three major thirds.
In just intonation
Just intonation
In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of small whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval. The two notes in any just interval are members of the same harmonic series...
, the interval between two major thirds and an octave, 2/(5/4)2, is 32/25, which is flatter by a septimal kleisma
Septimal kleisma
In music, the ratio 225/224 is called the septimal kleisma .It is a minute comma type interval of approximately 7.7 cents. Factoring it into primes gives 2−5 32 52 7−1, which can be rewritten 2−1 2 . That says that it is the amount that two major thirds of 5/4 and a septimal...
of size 225/224 than the septimal major third
Septimal major third
In music, the septimal major third , also called the supermajor third and sometimes Bohlen–Pierce third is the musical interval exactly or approximately equal to a just 9:7 ratio of frequencies, or alternately 14:11. It is equal to 435 cents, sharper than a just major third by the septimal...
with ratio 9/7. While septimal meantone temperament
Septimal meantone temperament
In music, septimal meantone temperament, also called standard septimal meantone or simply septimal meantone, refers to the tempering of 7-limit musical intervals by a meantone temperament tuning in the range from fifths flattened by the amount of fifths for 12 equal temperament to those as flat as...
tempers out the septimal kleisma, some other temperaments, for example miracle temperament
Miracle temperament
In music, miracle temperament is a regular temperament discovered by George Secor which has as a generator an interval, called the secor, that serves as both the 15:14 and 16:15 semitones. Because 15:14 and 16:15 are equated, their ratio 225:224 \left is tempered out, and two secors give an 8:7...
, do so also, and in all of these temperaments the augmented triad may be identified with a circle of two major and one septimal major thirds, making up an octave.
The augmented triad on the fifth scale degree
Degree (music)
In music theory, a scale degree or scale step is the name of a particular note of a scale in relation to the tonic...
may be used as a substitute
Chord substitution
In music theory, chord substitution is the use of a chord in the place of another related chord in a chord progression. Jazz musicians often substitute chords in the original progression to create variety and add interest to a piece. The substitute chord must have some harmonic quality and degree...
dominant, and may also be considered as III+, for example in C: V+ = G-B-D, III+ = E-G-B, and since in every key: D = E, they are the same three pitches.
Examples of popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
songs featuring the augmented chord include its introductory
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
use in Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's "School Days
School Days (song)
"School Days" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry, released by the Chess record label as a single in March 1957, and released on the LP After School Session two months later . It is one of his best known songs and is often considered a rock and roll anthem...
", Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
's "Tell It Like It Is
Tell It Like It Is
"Tell It Like It Is" is a song written by George Davis and Lee Diamond. It was first recorded by Aaron Neville, who released the song as a single in 1966. It was issued at the end of the year on the Par-Lo label and became a hit, peaking at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number...
", The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Oh Darling!
Oh! Darling
"Oh! Darling" is a song by The Beatles composed by Paul McCartney and appearing as the fourth song on the album, Abbey Road, in 1969. Its working title was "Oh! Darling "...
", after intros in Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
's "Town Without Pity
Town Without Pity
Town Without Pity is a 1961 American, Austrian and West German international co-production film drama starring Kirk Douglas, directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. It was made by Mirisch Productions for United Artists....
", Beach Boys' "The Warmth of the Sun
The Warmth of the Sun
"The Warmth of the Sun" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2 and as the B-side of the "Dance, Dance, Dance" single, which charted at number eight in the United States and number twenty-four...
", Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
's "Delta Lady", at the end of the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
in Patience and Prudence
Patience and Prudence
Patience and Prudence McIntyre, known professionally as Patience and Prudence, were two sisters who were a young singing act in the 1950s.-Career:...
's "Tonight You Belong to Me", The Caravelles
The Caravelles
The Caravelles, Lois Wilkinson and Andrea Simpson , were a British duo girl band, best known for their 1963 hit single, "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"....
' "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry
You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry
"You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" is a 1963 single by British girl group duo The Caravelles. The single reached #3 in the Billboard Hot 100 in America, and a more modest #6 in the UK Singles Chart. The song had previously charted in the US by Ernest Tubb and Tennessee Ernie Ford."You Don't Have...
", The Beatles' "From Me to You
From Me to You
"From Me to You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles as a single in 1963. The single was the Beatles' first number one in some of the United Kingdom charts, second in others, but failed to make an impact in the United States at the time of its initial...
", The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK singles charts in January 1964: it eventually peaked at No.6 in the United States in April 1964.They were the second group of the British Invasion,...
's "Glad All Over
Glad All Over
"Glad All Over" is a song written by Mike Smith and recorded by The Dave Clark Five. In January 1964, it became the British group's first big hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart. In April 1964, it reached number 6 on the American U.S. pop singles chart, becoming the first British...
", and Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
' "Dancing in the Street
Dancing in the Street
"Dancing in the Street" is a 1964 song first recorded by Martha and the Vandellas. It is one of Motown's signature songs and is the group's premier signature song.-Martha and the Vandellas original:...
", and as a chromatic passing function over the first degree, the fifth rising to 5 then 6 harmonized as IV, as in Jay and the Americans
Jay and the Americans
Jay and the Americans was a pop music group popular in the 1960s. Their initial lineup consisted of John "Jay" Traynor, Howard Kane , Kenny Vance and Sandy Deanne , though their greatest success on the charts came after Traynor had been replaced as lead singer by Jay Black.-Early years:They were...
' "Some Enchanted Evening
Some Enchanted Evening (song)
"Some Enchanted Evening" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific.In the musical, it is sung as a solo by Emile de Becque, the French plantation owner, who falls in love with the American navy nurse Nellie Forbush. In this song he sings of seizing the moment so...
", Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
's "It's My Party
It's My Party (song)
"It's My Party" is a song most famously sung by American singer Lesley Gore in 1963. This song hit #1 on the pop and rhythm and blues charts in the United States. "It's My Party", peaked at #9 in the United Kingdom, becoming Gore's only major hit there...
" (I—I+—IV—iv) (see also minor major seventh chord
Minor major seventh chord
A minor major seventh chord, or minor/major seventh chord is a naturally occurring diatonic nondominant seventh chord in the harmonic minor scale. The chord is built on a root, and above that the intervals of a minor third, a major third above that note and above that a major third...
), Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
' "There's a Kind of Hush
There's A Kind Of Hush
"There's a Kind of Hush" is a popular song written by Les Reed and Geoff Stephens which was a hit in 1967 for Herman's Hermits and again in 1976 for the Carpenters.-First recordings:...
" (continues to 7 harmonized by Im7), by ii Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
's "Crying
Crying
Crying is shedding tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secretomotor phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears from the lacrimal apparatus, without any irritation of the ocular structures"...
", followed by 6—6—5 motion in "Crying", The Guess Who
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
's "Laughing", Dave Clark Five's "Because
Because (The Dave Clark Five song)
- Weekly charts :- Year-end charts :...
" (verse: I—I+—vi—Im7...ii and cadence on V+), The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
' "Tapioca Tundra" (I—I+—vi, and V+ after bridge). Though rare, the augmented chord occurs in rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, "almost always as a linear embellishment linking an opening tonic chord with the next chord," for example John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "(Just Like) Starting Over
(Just Like) Starting Over
" Starting Over" is a song written and performed by John Lennon for his album, Double Fantasy. The B-side was Yoko Ono's "Kiss Kiss Kiss". It was released as a single on 24 October 1980 and reached number one in both the USA and UK two weeks after he was murdered. It is his biggest solo American...
" and the Beatles' "All My Loving
All My Loving
"All My Loving" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney , from the 1963 album With The Beatles. Though it was not released as a single in the United Kingdom or the United States, it drew considerable radio airplay, prompting EMI to issue it as the title track of an EP...
". Thus with an opening tonic chord an augmented chord results from ascending or descending movement between the fifth and sixth
Submediant
In music, the submediant is the sixth scale degree of the diatonic scale, the 'lower mediant' halfway between the tonic and the subdominant or 'lower dominant'...
degrees, such as in the chord progression I—I+—vi.
In tonal music
The augmented triad differs from the other kinds of triad (the major triadMajor chord
In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...
, the minor triad
Minor chord
In music theory, a minor chord is a chord having a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth.When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a minor triad....
, and the diminished triad
Diminished chord
A diminished triad chord or diminished chord is a triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root — if built on C, a diminished chord would have a C, an E and a G. It resembles a minor triad with a lowered fifth....
) in that it does not naturally arise in a diatonic scale
Diatonic scale
In music theory, a diatonic scale is a seven note, octave-repeating musical scale comprising five whole steps and two half steps for each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps...
. Although it could be conceptualized as a triad built on the third degree of a harmonic minor scale or melodic minor scale, it virtually never occurs in this way (since any chord on the third degree is itself rare, usually being a new tonic).
This makes the augmented triad a special chord that touches on the atonal. Its uses to 'suspend' tonality are famous; for example, in Liszt
Liszt
Liszt is a Hungarian surname. Notable persons with that surname include:* Franz Liszt , Hungarian composer and pianist* Adam Liszt , father of Franz Liszt* Anna Liszt , mother of Franz Liszt...
's Faust Symphony
Faust Symphony
A Faust Symphony in three character pictures , S.108, or simply the "Faust Symphony", was written by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt and was inspired by Johann von Goethe's drama, Faust...
and in Wagner's Siegfried Idyll
Siegfried Idyll
The Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner is a symphonic poem for chamber orchestra, lasting approximately twenty minutes.-Background:Wagner composed the Siegfried Idyll as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869...
. However, the augmented triad occurs in tonal music, with a perfectly tonal meaning, since at least Bach (see the first chord [m. 2] in the opening chorus to his cantata Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, BWV 2) and Haydn (see, for example, the Trio from Haydn's String Quartet Op. 54/2). It results diatonically in minor mode from a dominant chord where the fifth (the second degree) is replaced by the third degree, as an anticipation of the resolution chord. Beethoven's 9th symphony features such a chord at key moments in the slow movement. Brahms's Tragic Overture
Tragic Overture
The Tragic Overture , Op. 81, is a concert overture for orchestra written by Johannes Brahms during the summer of 1880. It premiered on December 26, 1880 in Vienna...
also features the chord prominently (A-C-F), in alternation with the regular dominant (A-C-E). In this example one can also see other aspect of the appeal of the chord to composers: it is a 'conflation' of the fifth degree and the third degree, the usual contrasting keys of a piece in the minor mode.
With the lead of Schubert (in his Wanderer Fantasy
Wanderer Fantasy
The Fantasie in C major, Op. 15 , popularly known as the Wanderer Fantasy, is a four-movement fantasy for solo piano composed by Franz Schubert in November 1822. It is considered Schubert's most technically demanding composition for the piano...
), Romantic composers started organizing many pieces by descending major thirds, which can be seen as a large-scale application of the augmented triad (although it probably arose from other lines of development not necessarily connected to the augmented triad). This kind of organization is common; in addition to Schubert, it is found in music of Liszt, Rimsky-Korsakov, Louis Vierne
Louis Vierne
Louis Victor Jules Vierne was a French organist and composer.-Life:Louis Vierne was born in Poitiers, Vienne, nearly blind due to congenital cataracts, but at an early age was discovered to have an unusual gift for music. Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French...
and Wagner, among others.
Augmented chord table
| Chord | Root | Major Third | Augmented Fifth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caug | C | E | G |
| C | E (F) | G (A) | |
| D | F | A | |
| Daug | D | F | A |
| D | F (G) | A (B) | |
| E | G | B | |
| Eaug | E | G | B (C) |
| Faug | F | A | C |
| F | A | C (D) | |
| G | B | D | |
| Gaug | G | B | D |
| G | B (C) | D (E) | |
| A | C | E | |
| Aaug | A | C | E (F) |
| A | C (D) | E (F) | |
| B | D | F | |
| Baug | B | D | F (G) |
Further reading
- Kroepel, Bob. Deluxe Encyclopedia of Piano Chords. Mel Bay, 1993. p. 12. ISBN 9780871665799
- Mark Ellis, A Chord in Time: The Evolution of the Augmented Sixth from Monteverdi to Mahler, Farnham: Ashgate 2010 p. 23 and pp 30–31