Where in a progression do aug. chords fit?
# 1
Augmented chords (or Dominant 7#5 chords as I like to think of them as) usually appear in Minor progressions as the 5 chord, and sometimes as the 3 chord.
There are a lot of augmented sounding scales to use over top of them, one of my favorites is the whole tone. When using the wholetone over an augmented chord try starting the phrase with the 9th or b7, it sounds better then starting on the root.
There are a lot of augmented sounding scales to use over top of them, one of my favorites is the whole tone. When using the wholetone over an augmented chord try starting the phrase with the 9th or b7, it sounds better then starting on the root.
# 2
Augmented chords GENERALLY aren't found in major progressions, because it doesn't naturally occur, but through use of secondary dominants and/or chord substitutions augmented chords have their place in major keys.
I just recently started playing around with augmented chords and have found only two uses for them (that sound good). I'm working on coming up with others.
Say you have a simple I, vi IV, V progression in C (C, Am, F, G). To get to the vi chord, Am, you can use it's secondary dominant, E Major, which reads as a III. Now, major chords are commonly substituted with Major Sixth chords. E Major sixth reads E, G#, B, C. This can be seen as C+/E, which can be simplified to C+. So, now your progression reads I - I+, vi, IV, V. Try this out... it has a cool feel for it. Perhaps sub the C augmented for a C augmented add nine (C+add9) which can be fingered as x, 3, 2, 1, 3, 0.
A second use of augmented chords is to use them as a substitution for a secondary dominant. Say you're playing in A Major, with chords A, F#m, Bm, E (I, vi, ii, V). That F#m is the fifth of Bm and can be substituted for an F# Major from B Harmonic Minor, which can be substituted for an F#7, which can be substitued for an F#7#5, which is F#+7. Now, try out your progression... Amaj7 (x, 0, 2, 1, 2, 0), F#+7 (2, x, 2, 3, 3, x), Bm7 (x, 2, 4, 2, 3, x), E7 (0, 2, 0, 1, 0, 0)... for even more augmented chords, try substituting that E7 at the end for an E+7 (0, 2, 0, 1, 1, x), which would be altering the secondary dominant to the I chord.
Whew, I hope that made sense... if not, here are some simpler "rules" you can apply for using augmented chords.
1. Use an augmented chord with a root a minor third above the chord you are going to (ex. = C+ -> Am)
2. Use an augmented chord with a root a perfect fifth above/ perfect fourth below the chord you are going to (ex = F#+ -> Bm)
I just recently started playing around with augmented chords and have found only two uses for them (that sound good). I'm working on coming up with others.
Say you have a simple I, vi IV, V progression in C (C, Am, F, G). To get to the vi chord, Am, you can use it's secondary dominant, E Major, which reads as a III. Now, major chords are commonly substituted with Major Sixth chords. E Major sixth reads E, G#, B, C. This can be seen as C+/E, which can be simplified to C+. So, now your progression reads I - I+, vi, IV, V. Try this out... it has a cool feel for it. Perhaps sub the C augmented for a C augmented add nine (C+add9) which can be fingered as x, 3, 2, 1, 3, 0.
A second use of augmented chords is to use them as a substitution for a secondary dominant. Say you're playing in A Major, with chords A, F#m, Bm, E (I, vi, ii, V). That F#m is the fifth of Bm and can be substituted for an F# Major from B Harmonic Minor, which can be substituted for an F#7, which can be substitued for an F#7#5, which is F#+7. Now, try out your progression... Amaj7 (x, 0, 2, 1, 2, 0), F#+7 (2, x, 2, 3, 3, x), Bm7 (x, 2, 4, 2, 3, x), E7 (0, 2, 0, 1, 0, 0)... for even more augmented chords, try substituting that E7 at the end for an E+7 (0, 2, 0, 1, 1, x), which would be altering the secondary dominant to the I chord.
Whew, I hope that made sense... if not, here are some simpler "rules" you can apply for using augmented chords.
1. Use an augmented chord with a root a minor third above the chord you are going to (ex. = C+ -> Am)
2. Use an augmented chord with a root a perfect fifth above/ perfect fourth below the chord you are going to (ex = F#+ -> Bm)
"You must stab him in the heart with the Bone Saber of Zumacalis... well, you could stab him in the head or the lungs, too... and the saber, it probably doesn't have to be bone, just anything sharp lying around the house... you could poke him with a pillow and kill him."
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Universal Re-Monster
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Universal Re-Monster
# 3
your first example is wrong. E6 has C#, not C natural. So a C+ can't be derived from E6 since C natural isn't there
the second example is a needlessly complicated way of explaining it.
here's how it works: Use augmented chords like secondary dominants.
---example---
| C | Am | F | G | ---> | C,,, E+ | Am,,, C+ | F,,, D+ | G,,, G+ |
As always, season to taste.
# 4
