If you want to play Gaug on the mandolin, start with its notes: G, B, D#. Its first mandolin voicing is the 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 is a augmented chord, and the sections below take you from the notes table to real fingerings, common mistakes and the musical contexts where Gaug sounds right.
What notes are in the Gaug chord?
The Gaug chord is a augmented chord, and its notes are fixed: G, B, D#. 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 G, so you can see the structure of Gaug at a glance. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes G, B, D# in Gaug.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| G | Root |
| B | 3 |
| D# | #5 |
The root is G, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Gaug are 3, #5. Those intervals are the fingerprint of the augmented quality — any chord with the same interval pattern, on any root, is the same kind of chord. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Gaug 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 Gaug noticeably. On the mandolin, the open position of Gaug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Comparing Gaug with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, augmented against major: both have the major 3rd B, but Gaug raises the 5th to D# instead of the perfect 5th D, and that one change removes the chord's sense of home. Practise the two chords back to back and listen to the one note that changes — that single note is the difference between the two chords. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes G, B, D# in Gaug.
How to play Gaug on mandolin
On the mandolin, Gaug has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — G, B, D# — in a different place on the neck. Start with the first voicing and get it clean before you try the movable shapes further up 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 Gaug is the open position, 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 Gaug — G, B, D# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want Gaug in around fret 5: G string open; D string at fret 5 (index finger); A string at fret 6 (middle finger); E string at fret 7 (ring finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 5 to fret 7, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Gaug — G, B, D# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
For the open position, Gaug sits in open position: G string open; D string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string muted. The challenge here is the muted string: 1 string is marked x, and it needs to stay silent. Let the edge of a fretting finger rest lightly on it — muting by touch, not by pressing. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Gaug — G, B, D# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Gaug 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 Gaug up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Gaug that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Gaug 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 voicing is the place to hear it in Gaug.
A short practice routine for Gaug on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above G 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 Gaug 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 Gaug 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.
Playing a perfect 5th. If the 5th is D the chord is just major. The sharpened 5th D# is the whole point of the augmented chord. On the mandolin, the open position of Gaug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Sitting on it too long. Gaug 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, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Gaug.
Resolving it nowhere. Because it is symmetrical, Gaug can resolve in several directions, but it must resolve somewhere. Pick a destination chord and practise the move. On the mandolin, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Gaug.
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: G, B, D#. Do not add extra whole-tone notes unless you mean to. On the mandolin, the open position of Gaug puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Where Gaug is used
Gaug 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 C major, the key of D major, the key of G major. a dominant colour in jazz, where the sharpened 5th adds tension to a V chord. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward C major, the key a perfect fourth above G, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Gaug does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes G, B, D# in Gaug.
Because Gaug 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 G 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 Gaug 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 Gaug.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Gaug on guitar, Gaug on piano, Gaug on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the G major scale and the G minor pentatonic scale. Learning Gaug on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — G, B, D# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Gaug
A short worked example makes Gaug concrete. Play the four-chord progression C – G – Am – F in C major, the key Gaug most often resolves toward: C – G – Am – F. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Gaug 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 Gaug 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 G, B, D# in Gaug.
For a second exercise, play Gaug and then the chord a fourth above G, 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 Gaug is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Gaug on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: G, B, D#. 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, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes G, B, D# in Gaug.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in Gaug?
Gaug contains G, B, D#: the root G, the major 3rd B and the augmented 5th D#. The raised 5th is the note that makes it augmented. On the mandolin, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
Where is Gaug 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, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
How do you play Gaug on the mandolin?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 0–1–2–3, fingers 0–1–2–3, on the mandolin. That voicing uses the notes G, B, D#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Gaug, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Gaug hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Gaug 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 Gaug on the mandolin?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for Gaug on the mandolin: frets 0–1–2–3, fingers 0–1–2–3. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.