STRINGSCALES

G altered Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, G, Ab, A#, B, C#, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11

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

D string: Eb, F, G, Ab, A#, B, C# at frets 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11

G string: G, Ab, A#, B, C#, Eb, F, G at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

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

High E string: F, G, Ab, A#, B, C#, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11

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G 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:

G

i°

Gdim
A♭

bii

A♭m
A♯

#ii

A♯m
B

III+

Baug
C♯

#IV

C♯maj
E♭

bVI

E♭maj
F

bvii°

Fdim

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

Same notes, different mode

G 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.

Ab melodic minorA# dorian b2B lydian augmentedC# lydian dominantEb mixolydian b6F locrian #2

altered in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

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

Open G hands you the root and open B the major third, so a two-note drone is built into the guitar for this key. Roots on the outer strings sit at fret 3, right where the E-shape barre anchors, which means barre chord and scale box share one hand position. From there the first box lasts until fret 7. G# melodic minor reuses every fret of this pattern from one semitone higher, giving your melodic minor shapes a second job. Two sharps in the signature keep the reading light.

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