Altered Scales on Piano

The altered scale — also called Super Locrian — is the seventh mode of the melodic minor scale and the most important scale for jazz improvisation over altered dominant chords. It contains every possible chromatic alteration of the dominant chord: ♭9, ♯9, ♯11, and ♭13. When you see a chord symbol like C7♯9♭13 or just C7alt, this is the scale to play.

Formula: H–W–H–W–W–W–W (half–whole–half–whole–whole–whole–whole)

Intervals: P1–m2–m3–d4–d5–m6–m7–P8

Scale degrees: 1–♭2–♭3–♭4–♭5–♭6–♭7

Sound: Tense, chromatic, dissonant, jazzy

Also known as: Super Locrian, diminished whole-tone scale, Locrian ♭4

The jazz musician’s shortcut: To play the altered scale on any dominant chord, think one half step up and play melodic minor. C altered = D♭ melodic minor. This trick works because the altered scale is the 7th mode of melodic minor — so C altered starts on the 7th degree of D♭ melodic minor.