Gaug9 guitar chord
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About Gaug9 — 2nd inversion
Gaug9 is G, B, D#, F and A. Start with and raise the 5th from to . You’ll also see this chord written G9♯5 or G9(♯5).
Hear what that one-note change does by comparing with Gaug9.
Hear the change
Only the 5th changes: D rises a half step to D♯. The other notes stay in place.
When Gaug9 resolves to , that can rise another half step to .
Also written G9#5, G+9 or G9(#5).
What 2nd inversion means
Gaug9 in 2nd inversion puts D# in the bass instead of G, the 5th of the chord. The notes are the same; what changes is what the bass line does, which is most of why you would reach for it — it lets the lowest voice move by step where the root would have jumped.
One of Gaug9’s 11 shapes does this:x6746x
How to use Gaug9
Gaug9 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 C. More voices leaning the same way is all "more tension" means here.
In a phrase:→→
The ii–V–I of C.
Voice by voice, Gaug9 → . 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 Gaug9 | Moves | In C |
|---|---|---|
| G, the root | stays where it is | G, the fifth |
| B, the major third | rises a semitone | C, the root |
| D#, the sharp fifth | rises a semitone | E, the major third |
| F, the flat seventh | falls a semitone | E, the major third |
| A, the ninth | falls a whole tone | G, the fifth |
What to play over Gaug9
Useful scales
- +C#
Contains Gaug9 and adds flat fifth.
Chords near Gaug9
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Change one note
open strings open strings 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.