Guitar scale · super Locrian
C# Altered Scale
7th mode of Melodic Minor. The ultimate scale for altered dominant chords in jazz solos.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# 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.
e|----------------------------------------9-10-12-13-| B|----------------------------------10-12------------| G|--------------------------9-10-12------------------| D|------------------9-11-12--------------------------| A|------------10-12----------------------------------| E|-9-10-12-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-15-| B|----------------------------------12-14-15----------| G|----------------------------12-14-------------------| D|----------------11-12-14-15-------------------------| A|----------12-14-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-17-| B|----------------------------------14-15-17----------| G|----------------------------14-16-------------------| D|-------------------14-15-17-------------------------| A|----------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-13-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-| B|----------------------------------17-18-20-------| G|-------------------------16-18-19----------------| D|-------------------17-19-------------------------| A|-------16-17-19-20-------------------------------| E|-17-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|-------------------------------------20-22----------| G|-------------------------18-19-21-22----------------| D|-------------------19-21----------------------------| A|----------19-20-22----------------------------------| E|-19-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Altered on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C# 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 9–13. 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 | C# |
| ♭9 | D |
| ♯9 | E |
| 3 | E# |
| ♭5 | G |
| ♯5 | A |
| ♭7 | B |
Chords in C# Altered
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Altered; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | C#dim | C#m7b5 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♯iii | Em | Em7 | Mediant |
| IV+ | E#aug | E#maj7#5 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | G | G7 | Dominant |
| ♯VI | A | A7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii° | Bdim | Bm7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# 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.
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 C# Altered Scale?
- The C# Altered Scale has 7 notes: C#, D, E, E#, G, A, B.
- What chords are in the C# Altered Scale?
- The chords of C# Altered are C#dim (i°), Dm (♭ii), Em (♯iii), E#aug (IV+), G (♭V), A (♯VI), Bdim (♭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 C# Altered on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.