STRINGSCALES

G♭ altered Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Fb, Gb, Abb, A, Bb, C, Ebb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

A string: A, Bb, C, Ebb, Fb, Gb, Abb, A at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

D string: Ebb, Fb, Gb, Abb, A, Bb, C, Ebb at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

G string: Abb, A, Bb, C, Ebb, Fb, Gb, Abb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

B string: C, Ebb, Fb, Gb, Abb, A, Bb at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

High E string: Fb, Gb, Abb, A, Bb, C, Ebb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

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Gb 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°

G♭dim
A𝄫

bii

A𝄫m
A

#ii

Am
B♭

III+

B♭aug
C

#IV

Cmaj
E𝄫

bVI

E𝄫maj
F♭

bvii°

F♭dim

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

Same notes, different mode

Gb 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.

G melodic minorA dorian b2Bb lydian augmentedC lydian dominantD mixolydian b6Fb locrian #2

altered in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

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

Capo at fret 2 and this five-flat key turns into plain E fingerings, which lets you skip the Gb spelling entirely while learning the shapes. Without the capo, roots still sit low: fret 2 on both E strings and fret 4 on the D string. Open low E, A, D and G all sound scale tones, so hammer-ons from open strings work through the bottom of the neck. G melodic minor sits one fret up on the identical pattern, meaning the shape may be under your fingers already. First box gives out at fret 6.

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