The Baug mandolin chord contains B, D#, G. Its first mandolin voicing is the open position: G string at fret 4 (little finger); D string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string at fret 3 (ring finger). As a augmented chord it has a distinct job in a progression, and this page explains that job alongside the fingerings, the notes and the practice steps that make it stick.
What notes are in the Baug chord?
The Baug chord is a augmented chord, and its notes are fixed: B, D#, G. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root B, so you can see the structure of Baug at a glance. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Baug.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| B | Root |
| D# | 3 |
| G | #5 |
The root is B, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Baug are 3, #5. Once you know the intervals, you can build Baug from any root by counting the same semitone steps, which is how the chord works in every key. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Baug sounds exotic and tense, the sound of a chord that can resolve in several directions at once. The colour is strongest when all the notes ring clearly. A muted chord tone, especially the 3rd or the 7th where the chord has one, flattens the character of Baug noticeably. On the mandolin, the open position of Baug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Comparing Baug with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, augmented against major: both have the major 3rd D#, but Baug raises the 5th to G instead of the perfect 5th F#, and that one change removes the chord's sense of home. Play both chords slowly, one after the other, and notice which note moves. Naming that note out loud while you play is the fastest way to learn the difference. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, G in Baug.
How to play Baug on mandolin
On the mandolin, Baug has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — B, D#, G — in a different place on the neck. The first voicing below is the one to learn first, and the alternatives cover the rest of the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
Another way to play Baug is the open position, in open position: G string at fret 4 (little finger); D string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string at fret 3 (ring finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 1 to fret 4, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Baug — B, D#, G — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want Baug in around fret 3: G string at fret 4 (middle finger); D string at fret 5 (ring finger); A string at fret 6 (little finger); E string at fret 3 (index finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 3 to fret 6, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Baug — B, D#, G — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The open position is the voicing to learn if you want Baug in open position: G string open; D string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string at fret 3 (ring finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 1 to fret 3, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Baug — B, D#, G — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Baug is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Baug up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Baug that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Baug from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the mandolin, the open position of Baug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
A short practice routine for Baug on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above B and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Mandolin Chord Finder to see the diagram for Baug while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Baug sound wrong on the mandolin, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Confusing it with a whole-tone sound. The augmented triad is part of the whole-tone scale, but on its own it is just three notes: B, D#, G. Do not add extra whole-tone notes unless you mean to. On the mandolin, the open position of Baug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Missing one string of a course. Mandolin strings come in pairs, and Baug needs both strings of each course to sound. If one string of a pair is muted by a neighbouring finger, the chord sounds thin. Check each course separately by plucking it on its own. On the mandolin, the open position of Baug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Playing a perfect 5th. If the 5th is F# the chord is just major. The sharpened 5th G is the whole point of the augmented chord. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, G in Baug.
Sitting on it too long. Baug is a passing colour, not a home chord. Hold it for a beat or two, then move on — it sounds stranger the longer it lasts. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, G in Baug.
Where Baug is used
Baug is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of E major, the key of F# major, the key of B major. a passing chord that creates chromatic lift, often between a major chord and its IV. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward E major, the key a perfect fourth above B, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Baug does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Baug.
Because Baug is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain B triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Baug in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Baug.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Baug on guitar, Baug on piano, Baug on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the B major scale and the B minor pentatonic scale. Learning Baug on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — B, D#, G — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Baug
A short worked example makes Baug concrete. Play the four-chord progression E – B – C#m – A in E major, the key Baug most often resolves toward: E – B – C#m – A. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Baug sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Baug itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D#, G in Baug.
For a second exercise, play Baug and then the chord a fourth above B, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Baug is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Baug on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: B, D#, G. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Baug.
Frequently asked questions
Is Baug hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Baug on the mandolin is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of Baug on the mandolin?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for Baug on the mandolin: frets 4–1–2–3, fingers 4–1–2–3. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.
Why does Baug sound strange?
Its 5th is sharpened to G, so the chord is two major 3rds stacked and divides the octave into three equal parts. With no perfect 5th to anchor it, the chord sounds like it floats. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.
What notes are in Baug?
Baug contains B, D#, G: the root B, the major 3rd D# and the augmented 5th G. The raised 5th is the note that makes it augmented. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.
Where is Baug used?
As a passing chord between a major chord and the chord a semitone above it, and as an altered dominant in jazz. It is a colour chord, used briefly for lift and surprise. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.