C Augmented (Caug)
1+3+#5
Notes in C Augmented
C (root)EG#
Inversions
Same notes as C Augmented, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.
Root position
C in the bass
1st inversion
E in the bass
2nd inversion
G# in the bass
C Augmented consists of C, E and G#, played at the same time.
Stretch the fifth of a major chord up by a semitone and the result is symmetrical: two identical major thirds stacked on top of each other. That symmetry means the chord has no clear sense of up or down, giving it a floating, slightly dizzying quality composers reach for when a moment needs to feel suspended or unresolved.