The Baug piano chord contains B, D#, G. On piano it is played from the keys B, D#, G, root position first, then in inversions. 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 piano, play the keys B, D#, G slowly and listen for each note of Baug in turn.
| 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 piano, 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. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the piano, Baug is the keys B, D#, G, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
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 piano, play the keys B, D#, G slowly and listen for each note of Baug in turn.
How to play Baug on piano
On the piano, Baug is played from the keys B, D#, G. In root position the lowest note is B, the root, with the other notes stacked above it in the order B, D#, G. Play it with the right hand first, then with the left hand an octave lower, so both hands know the shape of Baug before you try it in a progression.
First inversion of Baug puts D# in the bass, with the notes in the order D#, G, B. The chord is still Baug — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to D# rather than jump to B, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
Second inversion of Baug puts G in the bass, with the notes in the order G, B, D#. The chord is still Baug — the notes have not changed, only their order — but the bass note changes how it connects to the chord before and after it. Use this inversion when the bass line wants to step to G rather than jump to B, and practise moving from root position to this inversion without lifting your hand off the keys more than you must.
For fingering, a good starting point for Baug in root position in the right hand is thumb on B, then one finger per note in order, with the little finger on the top note G. For the left hand, mirror it: little finger on the low B and thumb on the top note. When a note is a black key — D# — let your longer fingers take it, since they reach the black keys more easily. Practise Baug in root position and first inversion, hands separately, then together, at a slow tempo, and use the Piano Chord Finder to check the voicing on the keyboard.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Baug sound wrong on the piano, 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 F# the chord is just major. The sharpened 5th G is the whole point of the augmented chord. On the piano, the root-position keys B, D#, G show Baug most clearly.
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 piano, the root-position keys B, D#, G show Baug most clearly.
Resolving it nowhere. Because it is symmetrical, Baug can resolve in several directions, but it must resolve somewhere. Pick a destination chord and practise the move. On the piano, Baug is the keys B, D#, G, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
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 piano, play the keys B, D#, G slowly and listen for each note of Baug in turn.
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 piano, the root-position keys B, D#, G show Baug most clearly.
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 piano, Baug is the keys B, D#, G, and the inversions above move the same notes around.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Baug on guitar, Baug on ukulele, Baug on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the B major scale and the B minor pentatonic scale. Learning Baug on the piano 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 piano, play the keys B, D#, G slowly and listen for each note of Baug in turn.
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 piano, play the keys B, D#, G slowly and listen for each note of Baug in turn.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Baug on the piano?
In root position, play the keys B, D#, G, with B as the lowest note. That is the basic shape of Baug on the piano. The inversions above put a different note in the bass, and the Chord Inverter shows every inversion of Baug on the keyboard.
What is the first inversion of Baug?
The first inversion of Baug puts D# in the bass, with the notes in the order D#, G, B. The chord is still Baug — only the bass note has changed — and it is the inversion to use when the bass line steps to D#.
Which fingers do you use for Baug on piano?
In the right hand, start with the thumb on B and one finger per note in order, ending with the little finger on G. In the left hand, mirror it with the little finger on the low B. Longer fingers take the black keys, so check which notes of Baug are black keys before you settle on a fingering.
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 piano, the keys above put that note under your fingers.
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 piano, the keys above put that note under your fingers.