• Home
  • News▼
    • Latest News
    • Newsletter Sign-up
    • RSS Feed
  • Guitar Lessons▼
    • Beginner Guitar Lessons
    • Intermediate Guitar Lessons
    • Advanced Guitar Lessons
    • All Guitar Lessons
  • Chords
  • Scales
  • Arpeggios
  • Music Theory▼
    • Beginner Music Theory
    • Intermediate Music Theory
    • Advanced Music Theory
    • All Music Theory
  • Guides▼
    • Buying Guides
    • Maintenance Guides
    • Music Industry Guides
    • All Guides
  • More▼
    • Tools & Apps
    • Music Directory
    • Help Charts
    • Miscellaneous
    • Help & Support

Ricmedia Guitar

Free Guitar Lessons

You are here: Home / Advanced Guitar Scales / Altered scale

September 4, 2013 By Richie Leave a Comment

Altered scale


Generally, an altered scale (also known as altered dominant scale or super Locrian mode) is a seven note scale with a numeric formula of 1-♭2-♭3-♭4-♭5-♭6-♭7-8/1 however, it is sometimes written with two second and two fifth degrees minus a fourth and sixth, this is done to highlight the altered tones in both the scale and chord. The altered scale is also the seventh mode of the melodic minor scale.

When a functioning dominant chord has an altered tone (like a ♭9, ♯9, ♭5 or ♯5), we need a scale that compliments these alterations, this is where the altered scale comes in. When playing a functioning dominant chord with an alteration, say for instance C7(♯5♭9), playing a C altered scale over this chord would highlight the ♯5 and ♭9 because the altered scale contains both of these notes, the ♭2 being enharmonic to a ♭9 and the ♭6 enharmonic to a ♯5.


Altered scale profile

Numeric formula 1-♭2-♭3-♭4-♭5-♭6-♭7-8/1
Notation formula (key of C) C-D♭-E♭-F♭(E)-G♭-A♭-B♭-C/1
Stepping half, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole
Tonal semi-tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, tone, tone
Harmonized triads (key of C) C⁰ / D♭mi / E♭mi / F♭⁺(E) / G♭ / A♭ / B♭⁰
Harmonized tetrads (key of C) Cmi7(♭5) / D♭mi(MA7) / E♭mi7 / F♭MA7(♯5) / G♭7 / A♭7 / B♭mi7(♭5)


Altered scale patterns

  • Pattern #1
  • Pattern #2
  • Pattern #3
  • Pattern #4
  • Pattern #5
  • Help
  • Guitar neck notes
  • Octave chart
Altered scale pattern #1
Altered scale pattern #2
Altered scale pattern #3
Altered scale pattern #4
Altered scale pattern #5
Scale pattern reading guide
All notes on guitar neck
Guitar octave chart guide


Altered scale audio sample(s)

C Altered scale pattern #4 https://www.ricguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/altered-scale/c-altered-scale-pattern-4.mp3




Filed Under: Advanced Guitar Scales, Guitar Scales

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help & Support • Legal, Terms & Privacy • Contact Details • Copyright ©2006- Ricmedia • Part of the Ricmedia group of websites   Part of the Ricmedia group of websites