STRINGSCALES

D♭ altered Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G, Bbb, Cb, Db, Ebb, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

A string: Bbb, Cb, Db, Ebb, E, F, G, Bbb at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

D string: Ebb, E, F, G, Bbb, Cb, Db, Ebb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

G string: G, Bbb, Cb, Db, Ebb, E, F, G at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

B string: Cb, Db, Ebb, E, F, G, Bbb, Cb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

High E string: E, F, G, Bbb, Cb, Db, Ebb, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

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Db altered

The altered scale, also called super locrian, is the seventh mode of the melodic minor scale a half step up, and jazz's default over altered dominant chords. It contains the flat 9, sharp 9, sharp 11 and flat 13: every standard alteration and no plain tensions. Play it over a V7alt chord and resolve into the I; the wrongness is the point until the landing.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

D♭

i°

D♭dim
E𝄫

bii

E𝄫m
E

#ii

Em
F

III+

Faug
G

#IV

Gmaj
B𝄫

bVI

B𝄫maj
C♭

bvii°

C♭dim

Characteristic notes: D (b9) and A (b13), every tension flattened, the go-to scale over altered dominant chords.

Same notes, different mode

Db altered uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

D melodic minorE dorian b2F lydian augmentedG lydian dominantA mixolydian b6Cb locrian #2

altered in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Use Db altered over a V7alt chord only, then resolve: the b2 (D), #2 (E), b5 (G) and b6 (A) are the b9, #9, #11 and b13 of the chord.
  • Think melodic minor a half step above Db: same notes, so your melodic minor fingerings already play this scale.
  • Land on the 3rd (F) or flat 7th (B) on strong beats; they are the only stable tones, and they keep the chaos intelligible.
  • Practice resolving each altered tension by half step into the I chord's nearest chord tone; that voice leading is the whole point.

How to play D♭ altered on guitar

All six open strings belong to Db altered, which means open-string pull-offs stay available across the neck even though none of them lands on the root. Capo at fret 1 and the key plays with familiar C fingerings, so whatever you already do in C transfers straight up. Roots sit at fret 4 on the A string and fret 9 on both E strings, matching the A-shape and E-shape barre anchors. Four flats on paper; the box runs to 13.

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