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MusicTheoryGym

Scale · 7 notes

C Altered Scale

C Altered is a 7-note scale with the notes C D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭. It sounds the seventh mode of melodic minor: every colour note of a dominant chord is altered, the sound of 7alt chords.

CF♭D♭E♭G♭A♭B♭

Purple = C (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every C altered note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CE♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭F♭G♭A♭B♭CD♭E♭F♭G♭

Blue = C (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the C Altered scale

DegreeNoteName
1CTonic
♭2D♭Supertonic
♭3E♭Mediant
♭4F♭Subdominant
♭5G♭Dominant
♭6A♭Submediant
♭7B♭Subtonic

Each note uses a different letter name, so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: C D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭.

C Altered scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is H – W – H – W – W – W – W (W = whole step, H = half step). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7.

Chords in the C Altered scale

Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives these chords:

DegreeTriad7th chord
i°C°Cø7
iiD♭mD♭m(maj7)
iiiE♭mE♭m7
IV+F♭+F♭7♯5
VG♭G♭7
VIA♭A♭7
vii°B♭°B♭ø7

Chord names link to guitar chord shapes where we have them.

How to practise the C Altered scale

Learn it as a rotation of a scale you already know (lydian dominant is melodic minor starting on its 4th note, altered starts on its 7th) and play it over the matching chord with a drone on the root.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the C Altered scale?

The notes of the C Altered scale are C D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭.

What is the formula for the C Altered scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is H – W – H – W – W – W – W (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7.

What chords are in the C Altered scale?

Built from the scale in triads: C°, D♭m, E♭m, F♭+, G♭, A♭, B♭°.

More C scales

C Major, C Natural Minor, C Harmonic Minor, C Melodic Minor, C Dorian, C Phrygian, C Lydian, C Mixolydian, C Locrian, C Major Pentatonic, C Minor Pentatonic, C Blues, C Lydian Dominant, C Whole Tone, C Dorian ♭2, C Lydian Augmented, C Mixolydian ♭6, C Locrian ♯2, C Phrygian Dominant, C Hungarian Minor, C Double Harmonic, C Diminished (W–H), C Diminished (H–W), C Bebop Dominant, C Bebop Major

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.