How to play B augmented mandolin chords

There are many positions (ways, variants etc.) to play the B augmented (Baug) mandolin chord. In this article you can find the most common mandolin chord positions – displayed on the slideshow above, fingered for your convenience. To help you understand how to play them, I have included step-by-step instructions, describing where to place each finger on the mandolin fret-board and what note this will produce. Finally, the article includes a chord chart with all possible mandolin chord positions for future reference, feel free to print it.

The Baug is a triad chord, i.e. it consists of three notes as following:

• The root, which for the Baug chord is of course B
• The third, which for the Baug chord is D#. Note that this creates a major third interval that consists of three half steps (B to C, C to C#, C# to D, D to D#)
• The fifth, which for the Baug chord is F## (or Fx or  G). Note again that this creates another major third interval that consists of three half steps (D# toE, E to F, F to F#, F# to F##).

The Baug is an augmented chord, because the interval between the root (note G) and the fifth (note F##) is an augmented fifth interval.

See how the Baug chord is written on sheet paper:

If you need a blank sheet paper to write it down in order to understand it, you can download one from theMandolinTuner free blank music paper sheet.

There are many good articles here at theMandolinTuner for practicing chords. I suggest you start with:

• How to practice mandolin chords
• How to play five easy mandolin chords

Ok, it is now time to practice. Grab your mandolin and try to play these chord variants now, it is easy, just follow the instructions!