What notes are in the Ab Altered Scale?

The Ab Altered Scale has 7 notes: Ab, A, B, C, D, E, Gb.

What chords are in the Ab Altered Scale?

The chords of Ab Altered are Abdim (i°), Am (♭ii), Bm (♯iii), Caug (IV+), D (♭V), E (♯VI), Gbdim (♭vii°).

What is the formula of the altered scale?

1 ♭9 ♯9 3 ♭5 ♯5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W H W W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).

Where do I play Ab Altered on the guitar?

The root Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 4–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Guitar scale · super Locrian

Ab Altered Scale

7th mode of Melodic Minor. The ultimate scale for altered dominant chords in jazz solos.

Notes AbABCDEGb

Formula 1 ♭9 ♯9 3 ♭5 ♯5 ♭7

Steps H W H W W W W

Mood Tense, Highly Altered, Modern Jazz

Heard in Jazz Solos over 7alt Chords, Bebop

Interactive scale diagram

Ab Altered Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Ab Altered Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 4–8

e|-----------------------------4-5-7-8-|
B|-------------------------5-7---------|
G|-------------------4-5-7-------------|
D|-------------4-6-7-------------------|
A|---------5-7-------------------------|
E|-4-5-7-8-----------------------------|

Position 2 · D shape frets 6–10

e|--------------------------------7-8-10-|
B|-------------------------7-9-10--------|
G|---------------------7-9---------------|
D|------------6-7-9-10-------------------|
A|--------7-9----------------------------|
E|-7-8-10--------------------------------|

Position 3 · C shape frets 8–12

e|--------------------------------------8-10-12-|
B|------------------------------9-10-12---------|
G|-------------------------9-11-----------------|
D|-----------------9-10-12----------------------|
A|---------9-11-12------------------------------|
E|-8-10-12--------------------------------------|

Position 4 · A shape frets 11–15

e|-------------------------------------------12-14-|
B|----------------------------------12-13-15-------|
G|-------------------------11-13-14----------------|
D|-------------------12-14-------------------------|
A|-------11-12-14-15-------------------------------|
E|-12-14-------------------------------------------|

Position 5 · G shape frets 13–17

e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-|
B|-------------------------------------15-17----------|
G|-------------------------13-14-16-17----------------|
D|-------------------14-16----------------------------|
A|----------14-15-17----------------------------------|
E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|

How to play Ab Altered on guitar

Find the root first: Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Ab on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 4–8. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

Degree	Note
1	Ab
♭9	A
♯9	B
3	C
♭5	D
♯5	E
♭7	Gb

Chords in Ab Altered

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Ab Altered; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree	Chord	7th chord	Function
i°	Abdim	Abm7b5	Tonic
♭ii	Am	Am(maj7)	Supertonic
♯iii	Bm	Bm7	Mediant
IV+	Caug	Cmaj7#5	Subdominant
♭V	D	D7	Dominant
♯VI	E	E7	Submediant
♭vii°	Gbdim	Gbm7b5	Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise Ab Altered anywhere, even offline.

This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.

Get it free onGoogle Play Download on theApp Store

Free

65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz

One purchase

282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
No subscription, ads removed

Questions

What notes are in the Ab Altered Scale?: The Ab Altered Scale has 7 notes: Ab, A, B, C, D, E, Gb.
What chords are in the Ab Altered Scale?: The chords of Ab Altered are Abdim (i°), Am (♭ii), Bm (♯iii), Caug (IV+), D (♭V), E (♯VI), Gbdim (♭vii°).
What is the formula of the altered scale?: 1 ♭9 ♯9 3 ♭5 ♯5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W H W W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Ab Altered on the guitar?: The root Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 4–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Altered Scale in every key

C C# D Eb E F F# G Ab A Bb B

More scales in Ab

Ab Major Ab Minor Ab Minor Pentatonic Ab Major Pentatonic Ab Blues Ab Major Blues Ab Dorian Ab Phrygian Ab Lydian Ab Mixolydian Ab Locrian Ab Harmonic Minor Ab Phrygian Dominant Ab Melodic Minor Ab Lydian Dominant Ab Lydian Augmented Ab Whole Tone Ab Half-Whole Diminished Ab Whole-Half Diminished Ab Bebop Dominant Ab Hungarian Minor Ab Dorian b2 Ab Mixolydian b6 Ab Locrian Natural 2 Ab Locrian Natural 6 Ab Ionian #5 Ab Ukrainian Dorian Ab Lydian #2 Ab Ultralocrian Ab Harmonic Major Ab Dorian b5 Ab Lydian b3 Ab Double Harmonic Major Ab Oriental Ab Neapolitan Minor Ab Neapolitan Major Ab Augmented Ab Bebop Major Ab Bebop Dorian Ab Yo Ab Hirajoshi Ab In Ab In Sen Ab Iwato Ab Phrygian b4 Ab Mixolydian b2 Ab Lydian Augmented #2 Ab Locrian bb7 Ab Lydian #2 #6 Ab Ultraphrygian Ab Ionian Augmented #2 Ab Locrian bb3 bb7 Ab Leading Whole Tone Ab Major Locrian Ab Lydian Dominant b6 Ab Hungarian Major Ab Persian Ab Enigmatic Ab Prometheus Ab Tritone Ab Bebop Melodic Minor Ab Bebop Harmonic Minor Ab Egyptian Pentatonic Ab Man Gong