Guitar scale · super Locrian
Eb Altered Scale
7th mode of Melodic Minor. The ultimate scale for altered dominant chords in jazz solos.
Tap any note to hear it.
Eb 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|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------12-14-------------| G|----------------------------11-12-14-------------------| D|-------------------11-13-14----------------------------| A|-------------12-14-------------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-| B|----------------------------------14-16-17----------| G|----------------------------14-16-------------------| D|----------------13-14-16-17-------------------------| A|----------14-16-------------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-19-| B|----------------------------------16-17-19----------| G|----------------------------16-18-------------------| D|-------------------16-17-19-------------------------| A|----------16-18-19----------------------------------| E|-15-17-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-21-| B|----------------------------------19-20-22-------| G|-------------------------18-20-21----------------| D|-------------------19-21-------------------------| A|-------18-19-21-22-------------------------------| E|-19-21-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------21-| B|-------------------20-22----| G|-------------20-21----------| D|----------21----------------| A|----21-22-------------------| E|-21-------------------------|
How to play Eb Altered on guitar
Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb 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 11–15. 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 | Eb |
| ♭9 | Fb |
| ♯9 | F# |
| 3 | G |
| ♭5 | A |
| ♯5 | B |
| ♭7 | Db |
Chords in Eb Altered
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Altered; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Ebdim | Ebm7b5 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Fbm | Fbm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♯iii | F#m | F#m7 | Mediant |
| IV+ | Gaug | Gmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | A | A7 | Dominant |
| ♯VI | B | B7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii° | Dbdim | Dbm7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Eb 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.
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- 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
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Questions
- What notes are in the Eb Altered Scale?
- The Eb Altered Scale has 7 notes: Eb, Fb, F#, G, A, B, Db.
- What chords are in the Eb Altered Scale?
- The chords of Eb Altered are Ebdim (i°), Fbm (♭ii), F#m (♯iii), Gaug (IV+), A (♭V), B (♯VI), Dbdim (♭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 Eb Altered on the guitar?
- The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.