Augmented Scale is a symmetrical hexatonic sound built from alternating augmented triads. It has a floating, unstable brightness created by stacking major-third relationships and filling the gaps with semitone motion. The result is a harmonic environment that feels suspended between symmetry and tension, widely used in modern jazz, film scoring, and advanced improvisation.
Construction and formula
The augmented scale is built from two interlocking augmented triads a minor third apart. In C, that means combining C augmented (C–E–G♯) and E♭ augmented (E♭–G–B).
This produces the full pitch set: C–E♭–E–G–G♯–B.
Its interval formula is 1–♭3–3–5–♯5–7, and its step structure cycles symmetrically as minor 3rd – half step – minor 3rd – half step – minor 3rd – half step.
Because of this symmetry, the scale does not strongly “resolve” in a tonal sense; instead, it expands harmony outward while maintaining internal balance.
Musical usage
The augmented scale is often used over dominant chords with sharp fifth color (such as V7♯5), or in contexts where harmonic ambiguity and tension are desired. It can also appear in modern jazz improvisation as a color resource over static harmony or extended dominant movement.
Melodically, the strongest identity tones are 3, ♭3, ♯5, and 7, which outline the embedded augmented triads. Lines built from these tones tend to sound instantly “inside the structure,” while stepwise motion between them creates the scale’s characteristic tension.
Examples
- Jazz improvisation over dominant chords with ♯5 or altered extensions.
- Film and game music requiring surreal or floating harmonic motion.
- Fusion writing that emphasizes symmetry and non-functional harmony.
- Comparative studies between whole-tone, diminished, and augmented sounds.
In practice
Practice the augmented scale by first isolating the two augmented triads in any key, then connecting them through half-step motion. This helps reveal the internal symmetry instead of treating it as a linear scale.
For improvisation, try targeting chord tones of a dominant chord (3 and 7), then expand outward to ♯5 and ♭3 to create color shifts. Avoid running it mechanically—its strength comes from outlining symmetry rather than scalar motion.
For composition, the augmented scale works best when harmony is allowed to hover rather than resolve, especially when alternating between augmented structures a minor third apart.
