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MusicTheoryGym

Scale · 7 notes

G Altered Scale

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

FGC♭D♭E♭A♭B♭

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

On the fretboard

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

EADGBe135791215FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGB♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭FGA♭B♭C♭D♭E♭FG

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

Notes in the G Altered scale

DegreeNoteName
1GTonic
♭2A♭Supertonic
♭3B♭Mediant
♭4C♭Subdominant
♭5D♭Dominant
♭6E♭Submediant
♭7FSubtonic

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

G 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 G Altered scale

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

DegreeTriad7th chord
i°G°Gø7
iiA♭mA♭m(maj7)
iiiB♭mB♭m7
IV+C♭+C♭7♯5
VD♭D♭7
VIE♭E♭7
vii°F°Fø7

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

How to practise the G 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 G Altered scale?

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

What is the formula for the G 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 G Altered scale?

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

More G scales

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