Altered scale
The altered scale: the seventh mode of melodic minor, with the second through seventh lowered, used over dominant sevenths in jazz. Notes in all twelve keys, with piano and guitar diagrams.
On C
- Formula
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
- Steps
- H W H W W W W
- Notes
- 7
- Also called
- Super Locrian
What it sounds like
The altered scale follows the pattern half, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole. Relative to the major pattern, every degree from the second to the seventh is lowered, which places it far from major. Over a dominant chord it contains the flat and sharp fifths and the flat and sharp ninths, so the chord sounds intensely unstable. The scale has no perfect fourth or perfect fifth, and it does not resolve easily without a tonic chord to answer it.
Where you hear it
The altered scale is the standard jazz choice over dominant seventh chords whose ninths and fifths are altered, a chord written C7alt. It is used in bebop, hard bop, and modern jazz improvisation, and in fusion as a tense dominant sound. It works best where a dominant resolves to a minor or major chord and the player wants maximum pull. Its use is mostly in jazz rather than in classical or folk music.
How it is built
The altered scale is the seventh mode of melodic minor. On C, it has the same notes as D♭ melodic minor, so C altered is the seventh mode of D♭ melodic minor. Over C7, the scale supplies E as the major third, written F♭, along with B♭ as the seventh and the altered ninths and fifths. Compared with the major scale, its second through seventh degrees are all lowered, which makes it a highly chromatic collection.
How to practise it
Play C altered, C D♭ E♭ E G♭ A♭ B♭, over a C7 vamp, then move the same shape to G for a G7 vamp and hear the same sound in a new place. Target E, the major third, and resolve the flat ninth, D♭, down to C. Play a four-bar line over the dominant, emphasizing the flat and sharp fifths on strong beats.
Altered scale in every key
Each scale below is spelled by letter name, so every letter appears once where the scale has seven notes. Click a name for its full page.
| Key | Notes | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ | |
| C♯ | C♯ D E F G A B | |
| D | D E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C | |
| E | E F G A♭ B♭ C D | |
| F | F G♭ A♭ B♭♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ | |
| F♯ | F♯ G A B♭ C D E | |
| G | G A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F | |
| G♯ | G♯ A B C D E F♯ | |
| A | A B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G | |
| B♭ | B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ | |
| B | B C D E♭ F G A |
Further reading
- Chord-Scale Theory Explained: Which Scale Fits Which ChordJazz & Popular Harmony · 7 min
- Tritone Substitution: The subV7 Chord That Still ResolvesHarmony · 6 min
- Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales ComparedFundamentals · 6 min
Questions
What is the altered scale?
The altered scale is the seventh mode of melodic minor, with the second through seventh degrees lowered. On C it is C D♭ E♭ E G♭ A♭ B♭. It supplies flat and sharp ninths and fifths over a dominant chord. Jazz players call the chord built on this scale C7alt, meaning an altered dominant.
What chord does the altered scale go over?
It is used over dominant seventh chords, especially those marked altered on a chord chart. On a C7 chord, the scale contains the major third, written E, the flat seventh, and the flat and sharp ninths and fifths. Players often use it on the dominant that resolves to a minor or major tonic.
How is the altered scale related to melodic minor?
It is the seventh mode of melodic minor. On C, the altered scale has the same notes as D♭ melodic minor, so it is that scale's seventh mode. It differs from the major scale by lowering every degree from the second upward. The name refers to the altered notes it adds to a dominant chord.