STRINGSCALES

E♭ altered Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Fb, F#, G, A, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

A string: A, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, F#, G, A at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

D string: Eb, Fb, F#, G, A, Cb, Db at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

G string: G, A, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, F#, G at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

B string: Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, F#, G, A, Cb at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

High E string: Fb, F#, G, A, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

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Eb 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:

E♭

i°

E♭dim
F♭

bii

F♭m
F♯

#ii

F♯m
G

III+

Gaug
A

#IV

Amaj
C♭

bVI

C♭maj
D♭

bvii°

D♭dim

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

Same notes, different mode

Eb 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.

Fb melodic minorF# dorian b2G lydian augmentedA lydian dominantCb mixolydian b6Db locrian #2

altered in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Use Eb altered over a V7alt chord only, then resolve: the b2 (E), #2 (F#), b5 (A) and b6 (B) are the b9, #9, #11 and b13 of the chord.
  • Think melodic minor a half step above Eb: same notes, so your melodic minor fingerings already play this scale.
  • Land on the 3rd (G) or flat 7th (Db) 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 E♭ altered on guitar

Nearest root waits at fret 1 on the D string, so this key is playable without ever leaving open position. Five open strings fall inside the scale, including G ringing the major third, which means open strings can keep ringing even this far into the flats. A capo at fret 1 turns the whole key into D fingerings. E melodic minor shares every fret with this scale from a semitone higher, giving you a second name for shapes you may already run. A-shape barre lands at 6, E-shape at 11.

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