Caug9 guitar chord
- Tap a note to hear it
- Arrows change position
- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About Caug9
Caug9 is C, E, G#, Bb and D. Start with and raise the 5th from to . You’ll also see this chord written C9♯5 or C9(♯5).
Hear what that one-note change does by comparing with Caug9.
Hear the change
Only the 5th changes: G rises a half step to G♯. The other notes stay in place.
When Caug9 resolves to , that can rise another half step to .
Also written C9#5, C+9 or C9(#5).
How to use Caug9
Caug9 is a dominant with its tension raised, so it still points at — harder than a plain seventh does. A plain dominant has two voices a semitone from home; an altered one has four, because every altered tone is also sitting a semitone from a note of F. More voices leaning the same way is all "more tension" means here.
In a phrase:→→
The ii–V–I of F.
Voice by voice, Caug9 → . 3 voices move by a semitone, and one note is common to both chords. Those semitones are what the ear follows; the rest is the chord rearranging itself underneath.
| In Caug9 | Moves | In F |
|---|---|---|
| C, the root | stays where it is | C, the fifth |
| E, the major third | rises a semitone | F, the root |
| G#, the sharp fifth | rises a semitone | A, the major third |
| Bb, the flat seventh | falls a semitone | A, the major third |
| D, the ninth | falls a whole tone | C, the fifth |
What to play over Caug9
Useful scales
- +F#
Contains Caug9 and adds flat fifth.
Chords near Caug9
Remove a note
Change one note
3rd inversion 3rd inversion
The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in how this site is built.