Augmented Vs Diminished Chords

There are more kinds of chords than minor and major. Today, I want to discuss augmented versus diminished. I have already discussed minor and major chords on my blog. Augmented and versus diminished can follow the same strategy.

To find a major, you know that you begin with your root, move 4 half steps up to your mediant and then move 3 steps up to your dominant.

The interval for augmented chords would be 4 - 4 which means 4 1/2 steps from the root, and then 4 from the mediant. Another way to look at it is to find your augmented chord is to begin with your major chord and then move your dominant chord a half step up.

Let's take a look at the D augmented chord. You can either count 4 1/2 steps from D and then get F(sharp) and then count 4 up from F sharp and land on A sharp. However, if you just look at the major chord which is D, F sharp, A, you can see that moving A one half step up will give you your augmented chord.

Now let's take a look at diminished chords.

Diminished are similar to augmented except that you look at the minor instead of a major chord. A minor chord is 3 half steps up from the root, and then 4 up from the mediant. When you want your diminished triad, the chord interval would be 3 - 3. Now if you want to start with your minor chord, you would move your dominant a half step down instead of up.

Let's do an example using the A diminished. You can follow the same two methods that are stated above which either is counting steps or starting with your minor chord and making it a diminished.

With an A minor chord, you have the notes A, C, and E. The chord interval here is 3 - 4. Now you can take your minor chord and move your dominant note down a half step to get A, C, and E(flat). Or you can use the alternative method and start with A, move up 3 half steps to C, and then move 3 to E flat.