Explore scales · Bass
A♭ altered scale on bass guitar
A♭ altered contains A♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭, F♭, and G♭. Box 2 keeps the root on string 4, fret 4 for a mid-neck altered run.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭2, ♭3, ♭4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7
How do you play the A♭ altered scale on bass?
A♭ altered in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 9 notes across 4 strings, from F♭ on the E string at fret 0 up to B♭♭ on the G string at fret 2. The root falls on the G string at fret 1.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 2 | F♭, G♭ |
| 3 (A) | 0, 2, 3 | B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭ |
| 2 (D) | 0, 2 | E♭♭, F♭ |
| 1 (G) | 1, 2 | A♭, B♭♭ |
Box 2 · frets 2–5
A♭ altered in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 11 notes across 4 strings, from G♭ on the E string at fret 2 up to D♭♭ on the G string at fret 5. The root falls on the E string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 4, 5 | G♭, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 3 (A) | 2, 3, 5 | C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭ |
| 2 (D) | 2, 4 | F♭, G♭ |
| 1 (G) | 2, 4, 5 | B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭ |
Box 3 · frets 4–7
A♭ altered in box 3 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 11 notes across 4 strings, from A♭ on the E string at fret 4 up to E♭♭ on the G string at fret 7. The root falls on the E string at fret 4 and the D string at fret 6.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 5, 7 | A♭, B♭♭, C♭ |
| 3 (A) | 5, 7 | E♭♭, F♭ |
| 2 (D) | 4, 6, 7 | G♭, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 1 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭ |
Box 4 · frets 7–10
A♭ altered in box 4 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 10 notes across 4 strings, from C♭ on the E string at fret 7 up to F♭ on the G string at fret 9. No root falls inside this box; it sits between two of them.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 7, 8, 10 | C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭ |
| 3 (A) | 7, 9 | F♭, G♭ |
| 2 (D) | 7, 9, 10 | B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭ |
| 1 (G) | 7, 9 | E♭♭, F♭ |
Box 5 · frets 10–13
A♭ altered in box 5 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 8 notes across 4 strings, from E♭♭ on the E string at fret 10 up to A♭ on the G string at fret 13. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 10, 12 | E♭♭, F♭ |
| 3 (A) | 11, 12 | A♭, B♭♭ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 12 | D♭♭, E♭♭ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ altered lowers the fourth of A♭ locrian to D♭♭, giving 1, ♭2, ♭3, ♭4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7. The tritone lies between A♭ and E♭♭. See A♭ locrian for the natural fourth.
When to use it
A♭ altered fits A♭ 7th flat 5 and A♭ 7th sharp 5 chords. Use it over A♭ 7th flat 5 in bebop or hard bop. The ♭2 and ♭6 create a dark dominant colour.
Which position to practise
Practise Box 2 first. The root on string 4, fret 4 gives access to the scale across four frets without shifting.
Common questions
What notes are in A♭ altered?
A♭ altered contains A♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭, F♭, and G♭. The scale degrees are 1, ♭2, ♭3, ♭4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords does A♭ altered fit?
A♭ altered fits A♭ 7th flat 5 and A♭ 7th sharp 5 chords. The scale works over dominant chords with altered fifths. Use it for bebop or hard bop.
How does A♭ altered differ from A♭ locrian?
A♭ altered lowers the fourth degree from D♭ to D♭♭. This creates a ♭4 interval instead of a perfect fourth. The rest of the scale matches A♭ locrian.