STRINGSCALES

F altered Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, Gb, G#, A, B, Db, Eb at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

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

D string: Eb, F, Gb, G#, A, B, Db at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11

G string: G#, A, B, Db, Eb, F, Gb at frets 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11

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

High E string: F, Gb, G#, A, B, Db, Eb at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

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F 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:

F

i°

Fdim
G♭

bii

G♭m
G♯

#ii

G♯m
A

III+

Aaug
B

#IV

Bmaj
D♭

bVI

D♭maj
E♭

bvii°

E♭dim

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

Same notes, different mode

F 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.

Gb melodic minorG# dorian b2A lydian augmentedB lydian dominantDb mixolydian b6Eb locrian #2

altered in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

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

Lowest root sits at fret 1 on the low E string, so the E-shape barre and its scale box hug the nut. Open A rings the major third and open B the sharp fourth, which means two chord tones sustain under low phrases without fretting. Capo at 1 converts everything to E fingerings. From fret 5 the first box is already behind you, and the next root waits at fret 8 on the A string. F# melodic minor duplicates this fingering from a semitone up, so melodic minor lines double as F altered lines.

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