Altered Scale Guitar: 7 Lines and 7 Positions Over G7

The altered scale on guitar is a dominant scale built for tension. G altered is G, A flat, B flat, C flat, D flat, E flat and F, the same notes as A flat melodic minor. Play it over the G7 in a ii V I and the resolution to C feels stronger, because there’s more tension to release.

This lesson has two parts. First, seven ii V I lines, each built on one chord that lives inside the altered scale. Then all seven positions of G altered in three notes per string, so you can find it anywhere on the neck.

What is the altered scale used for?

It’s usually used to create more tension on the dominant, the V chord, in order to resolve. That sound comes up a lot when we’re playing jazz and improvised music.

Whenever we’re creating more tension, whether it’s with chords or lines, we’re basically making the resolution, the home base, stronger.

Rotem Sivan

When I was in high school, and later on at The New School in New York, I was trying to understand the colors we use to create tension and release. The altered was a thing I was never quite clear about, so this is my attempt to make it a little clearer. Remember, it’s only colors. We’re using different notes to create tension, so the resolution feels stronger.

What notes are in the G altered scale?

G, A flat, B flat, C flat, D flat, E flat and F. Those are the notes of A flat melodic minor, so if you know your melodic minor fingerings, that helps.

I think about it as a G7 altered sound, but it’s not bad to understand it as A flat melodic minor too. Against G7, A flat is the flat 9, B flat is the sharp 9, C flat is the 3 (it’s a B), D flat is the flat 5, E flat is the flat 13 and F is the 7. You can see more of the parent scale in my melodic minor scale lesson.

Build a chord on each note of the scale and you get seven chords to pull colors from:

1. G half diminished.
2. A flat minor major.
3. B flat minor 7.
4. C flat augmented major 7.
5. D flat 7.
6. E flat 7.
7. F half diminished. Then G half diminished again, back at the top.

So when you’re soloing over a ii V I in C, or in any key, you can pick out the chord you want. If I have a ii V I in C, I can say D minor, B flat minor, C major 7. It’s definitely an intense color, but that’s part of the trick of articulating the altered scale.

7 altered lines over a ii V I in C

Each line articulates D minor 7, then uses one chord from the altered scale on the G7, then resolves. I mainly used the triads, so you hear each color clearly, but you can mix the triads with the scale too.

1. G half diminished. Starts around the D minor sound, highlighting the 9 a little, then plays the G half diminished 7 chord up. That’s G, B flat, D flat and F against G7, a lot of tension, resolving up to the 9. Tensions in jazz and classical music tend to resolve down, which would be the softer option, but I chose to go up and hang that tension in the air.
2. A flat minor major. F major 7 on the D minor 7 to get the 9, then an A flat minor triad and an A flat minor major 9 on the G7. It resolves on the 6, an A on top, with a line cliche of C, B natural, B flat, A.
3. B flat minor 7. Articulates D minor 7 starting from the 5, then does the same concept on B flat minor 7 over the G7, and resolves to the 6.
4. C flat augmented major 7. A really cool, very specific, very strong color. Intense, definitely, but also beautiful. The line surrounds the A, moves chromatically into the arpeggio, then plays flat 9 to sharp 9 before it resolves.
5. D flat 7. The tritone substitution. A D minor 9 shape, which is fun, comfortable and easy to play fast on guitar, then the same thing on D flat 9, then resolve. Simple, but super effective.
6. E flat 7. One of my favorites. D minor 7 in octaves, then an E flat triad going to a D flat triad, then resolve. The E flat triad gives the sharp 9, the root and the flat 13. The D flat triad gives the flat 9, the 7 and the flat 5. Very harsh, but really cool.
7. F half diminished. Against G7 it gives the 7, the flat 9, the 3 and the flat 13. The line plays F major 7 on the D minor to get that 9, which I love, then ascends the F half diminished arpeggio and resolves. Shifting between F major 7 and F half diminished is kind of cool.

Mixing the scale and these triads, and moving between them to create tension, is a really fun exploration. If you want more ii V I vocabulary to drop these colors into, my ii V I jazz guitar licks lesson has nine more lines to mix and match.

How do you play the altered scale on guitar? 7 positions

Map G altered in three notes per string, starting one position from each note of the scale: G, A flat, B flat, C flat, D flat, E flat and F.

It’s a little time-consuming, but it’s really worth it. The idea is to see and hear the scale in as many parts of the guitar as possible. Play each position separately until you’re comfortable. Then play it in time, slowly: quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets and sixteenth notes. Sing the G and sing the scale. Then play all of them in time and shift between them, the same way you would with a C major scale. Any exercise with thirds and things like that would be great too. The point is to feel more comfortable, so we can create.

Here’s a practice idea for today. Loop D minor 7, G7, C major 7. On the G7, play only the B flat minor triad (B flat, D flat, F), then resolve to C. Once that sounds clear, swap in the E flat triad, then the F half diminished arpeggio, and listen to how each color changes the pull into C.

If you want the full picture of how sounds like this fit into a solo, Solo Mastery is my full framework for improvising: over 40 concepts for soloing and 10 real performances broken down note by note, plus harmony and ear training.

Frequently asked questions

Is the altered scale the same as melodic minor?

It uses the same notes. G altered (G, A flat, B flat, C flat, D flat, E flat, F) is A flat melodic minor started from G. Knowing melodic minor fingerings helps, but you hear and think of it as a G7 altered sound.

When do you use the altered scale?

On a dominant chord that’s resolving, like the G7 in a ii V I in C. It adds tension on the V chord, and more tension makes the resolution to home base feel stronger. It’s a sound that comes up a lot in jazz and improvised music.

What chords are in the G altered scale?

G half diminished, A flat minor major, B flat minor 7, C flat augmented major 7, D flat 7, E flat 7 and F half diminished. Each one gives a different color over G7, so you can pick the one you want when you solo.

How do I practice the altered scale positions?

Learn the seven three-notes-per-string positions one at a time. Then play each in time, slowly, in quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets and sixteenths, singing the G and the scale. Then play them all in time and shift between them.

Pick one color from the seven, put it on every G7 you meet this week, and let your ear decide which one you reach for next.