How to use Augmented Chords | Guitar Tricks

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In this Guitar Tricks lesson, Mike breaks down the basics of augmented chords and diminished chords, helping guitarists add new textures and colors to their playing. While most guitar players are familiar with major chords and minor chords, augmented and diminished chords offer a more dissonant, tense, and expressive sound that can greatly enhance your guitar chord progressions.

Before diving into the chord lesson, Mike shares a useful guitar practice tip: use visualization to strengthen your skills even when you’re away from your instrument. Visualize your fingers on the fretboard, strumming, and playing chord shapes in your mind. This mental rehearsal technique is backed by research and helps reinforce muscle memory and performance confidence.

Using the key of A, Mike demonstrates the theory behind each chord. A major chord includes the root, major third, and perfect fifth. Lowering the third gives you a minor chord, creating a more somber sound. To form an augmented chord, you raise the fifth by a semitone—resulting in a bold, unresolved sound. For a diminished chord, start with a minor chord and lower the fifth a semitone, producing a dark, unstable tone.

Though less common, augmented and diminished chords are powerful for creating tension and resolution in music. Mike gives practical examples, like using an A augmented chord to transition from A major to F# minor, and using an A diminished chord to lead into a G major chord.

These concepts are essential for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of guitar chord theory and expand their guitar vocabulary. For more lessons on music theory for guitar, head over to GuitarTricks.com or subscribe to the Guitar Tricks YouTube channel for weekly tutorials and tips.

Mike is here with another Guitar Tricks channel lesson! This lesson is about augmented and diminished chords.

The tip of the week is about visualization. Even when you’re away from your guitar, you can still work on becoming a better guitarist! For example, on a train, airplane or waiting room, visualize your fingers fretting the parts of a song, lick, chord or scale. Also visualize your picking hand picking or strumming. This even works to visualize playing music in front of an audience!

On to this week's lessons about Augmented and Diminished Chords. Most guitarists learn about major and minor chords pretty early on. But some don’t realize there are to other types of chords that give an even more colored sound. They are augmented and diminished chords.

Augmented chords are essentially major chords but the 5th has been raised a semi-tone (also called a half-step). So an augmented chord has: root, major 3rd and sharp 5th. Diminished chords are essentially minor chords but the 5th lowered a half-step. So a diminished chord has: root, minor 3rd and flat 5th. Both of these chords can used to function as a dominant chord, a V or vii leading to another tonic chord. They can also be used ornamentally, just as interesting sounds to spice up an otherwise standard chord progression. Experiment with them!

If you like this lesson, then GT has more that cover ideas on how to use augmented and diminished chords!

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