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Scale · 7 notes

D Altered Scale

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

CDFE♭G♭A♭B♭

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

On the fretboard

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

EADGBe135791215FG♭A♭B♭CDE♭FG♭B♭CDE♭FG♭A♭B♭CDE♭FG♭A♭B♭CDE♭FA♭B♭CDE♭FG♭A♭B♭CDE♭FG♭A♭B♭CDFG♭A♭B♭CDE♭FG♭

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

Notes in the D Altered scale

DegreeNoteName
1DTonic
♭2E♭Supertonic
♭3FMediant
♭4G♭Subdominant
♭5A♭Dominant
♭6B♭Submediant
♭7CSubtonic

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

D 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 D Altered scale

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

DegreeTriad7th chord
i°D°Dø7
iiE♭mE♭m(maj7)
iiiFmFm7
IV+G♭+G♭7♯5
VA♭A♭7
VIB♭B♭7
vii°C°Cø7

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

How to practise the D 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 D Altered scale?

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

What is the formula for the D 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 D Altered scale?

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

More D scales

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