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Guitar scale · super Locrian

G Altered Scale

7th mode of Melodic Minor. The ultimate scale for altered dominant chords in jazz solos.

Notes GAbA#BDbD#F
Formula 1 ♭9 ♯9 3 ♭5 ♯5 ♭7
Steps H W H W W W W
Mood Tense, Highly Altered, Modern Jazz
Heard in Jazz Solos over 7alt Chords, Bebop

Interactive scale diagram

G Altered Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

How to play G Altered on guitar

Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G on the neck; the gold ones are the other chord tones (3rd, 5th and 7th), which are the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 3–7. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 G
♭9 Ab
♯9 A#
3 B
♭5 Db
♯5 D#
♭7 F

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Questions

What notes are in the G Altered Scale?
The G Altered Scale has 7 notes: G, Ab, A#, B, Db, D#, F.
What is the formula of the altered scale?
1 ♭9 ♯9 3 ♭5 ♯5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W H W W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play G Altered on the guitar?
The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Altered Scale in every key

More scales in G