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E♭ altered scale on bass guitar
E♭ altered contains E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭, C♭, and D♭. Box 2 keeps the root on string 3, fret 6 for a mid-neck altered run.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭2, ♭3, ♭4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7
How do you play the E♭ altered scale on bass?
E♭ 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 D string at fret 1.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 2, 3 | F♭, G♭, A♭♭ |
| 3 (A) | 0, 2 | B♭♭, C♭ |
| 2 (D) | 1, 2 | E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (G) | 0, 2 | A♭♭, B♭♭ |
Box 2 · frets 2–5
E♭ altered in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 10 notes across 4 strings, from G♭ on the E string at fret 2 up to C♭ on the G string at fret 4. 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) | 2, 3, 5 | G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭ |
| 3 (A) | 2, 4 | C♭, D♭ |
| 2 (D) | 2, 4, 5 | F♭, G♭, A♭♭ |
| 1 (G) | 2, 4 | B♭♭, C♭ |
Box 3 · frets 5–8
E♭ altered in box 3 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 8 notes across 4 strings, from B♭♭ on the E string at fret 5 up to E♭ on the G string at fret 8. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the G string at fret 8.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 5, 7 | B♭♭, C♭ |
| 3 (A) | 6, 7 | E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (D) | 5, 7 | A♭♭, B♭♭ |
| 1 (G) | 6, 8 | D♭, E♭ |
Box 4 · frets 7–10
E♭ altered in box 4 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 9 notes across 4 strings, from C♭ on the E string at fret 7 up to F♭ on the G string at fret 9. The root falls on the G string at fret 8.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 7, 9 | C♭, D♭ |
| 3 (A) | 7, 9, 10 | F♭, G♭, A♭♭ |
| 2 (D) | 7, 9 | B♭♭, C♭ |
| 1 (G) | 8, 9 | E♭, F♭ |
Box 5 · frets 9–12
E♭ altered in box 5 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 11 notes across 4 strings, from D♭ on the E string at fret 9 up to A♭♭ on the G string at fret 12. The root falls on the E string at fret 11.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9, 11, 12 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (A) | 9, 10, 12 | G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭ |
| 2 (D) | 9, 11 | C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (G) | 9, 11, 12 | F♭, G♭, A♭♭ |
Box 6 · frets 11–14
E♭ altered in box 6 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 11 notes across 4 strings, from E♭ on the E string at fret 11 up to B♭♭ on the G string at fret 14. The root falls on the E string at fret 11 and the D string at fret 13.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 12, 14 | E♭, F♭, G♭ |
| 3 (A) | 12, 14 | B♭♭, C♭ |
| 2 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | D♭, E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 12, 14 | G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭ |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ altered lowers the fourth of E♭ locrian to A♭♭, producing 1, ♭2, ♭3, ♭4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7. The tritone lies between E♭ and B♭♭. Compare with E♭ locrian to hear the ♭4.
When to use it
E♭ altered fits E♭ 7th flat 5 and E♭ 7th sharp 5 chords. Use it over E♭ 7th flat 5 in bebop or hard bop. The ♭2 and ♭6 add chromatic tension to dominant lines.
Which position to practise
Practise Box 2 first. The root on string 3, fret 6 gives access to the scale across four frets without shifting.
Common questions
What notes are in E♭ altered?
E♭ altered contains E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭, C♭, and D♭. The scale degrees are 1, ♭2, ♭3, ♭4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords does E♭ altered fit?
E♭ altered fits E♭ 7th flat 5 and E♭ 7th sharp 5 chords. The scale works over dominant chords with altered fifths. Use it for bebop or hard bop.
How does E♭ altered differ from E♭ locrian?
E♭ altered lowers the fourth degree from A♭ to A♭♭. This creates a ♭4 interval instead of a perfect fourth. The rest of the scale matches E♭ locrian.