Also written Altered Dominant, Diminished Whole-Tone or Dominant Whole-Tone
A♭ altered contains A♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭, F♭, G♭. Start with Box 1 to keep the root on string 4, fret 1.
A♭ altered is the seventh mode of B♭♭ melodic minor. It differs from A♭ locrian by raising the fourth degree to D♭♭, creating a major third above the root. The scale contains a tritone between A♭ and E♭♭, but no leading tone. Compare with A♭ locrian to hear the raised fourth degree.
Use A♭ altered over dominant chords like A♭ 7th flat 5 or A♭ 7th sharp 5. It suits jazz, fusion, and altered dominant lines. The scale resolves naturally to D♭ major or D♭ minor.
Learn Box 1 first. It keeps the root on string 4, fret 1 and covers frets 0–3, making it easy to shift to Box 2.
A♭ altered in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 9 notes across 4 strings, from D♭♭ on the C string at fret 0 up to D♭♭ on the A string at fret 3. The root falls on the G string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 1, 2 | A♭, B♭♭ |
| 3 (C) | 0, 2 | D♭♭, E♭♭ |
| 2 (E) | 0, 2 | F♭, G♭ |
| 1 (A) | 0, 2, 3 | B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭ |
A♭ altered in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 11 notes across 4 strings, from E♭♭ on the C string at fret 2 up to E♭♭ on the A string at fret 5. The root falls on the E string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 2, 4, 5 | B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭ |
| 3 (C) | 2, 4 | E♭♭, F♭ |
| 2 (E) | 2, 4, 5 | G♭, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 1 (A) | 2, 3, 5 | C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭ |
A♭ altered in box 3 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 10 notes across 4 strings, from F♭ on the C string at fret 4 up to F♭ on the A string at fret 7. The root falls on the E string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭ |
| 3 (C) | 4, 6 | F♭, G♭ |
| 2 (E) | 4, 5, 7 | A♭, B♭♭, C♭ |
| 1 (A) | 5, 7 | E♭♭, F♭ |
A♭ altered in box 4 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 9 notes across 4 strings, from G♭ on the C string at fret 6 up to G♭ on the A string at fret 9. The root falls on the C string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 7, 9 | E♭♭, F♭ |
| 3 (C) | 6, 8, 9 | G♭, A♭, B♭♭ |
| 2 (E) | 7, 8 | C♭, D♭♭ |
| 1 (A) | 7, 9 | F♭, G♭ |
A♭ altered in box 5 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 9 notes across 4 strings, from A♭ on the C string at fret 8 up to A♭ on the A string at fret 11. The root falls on the C string at fret 8 and the A string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 9, 11 | F♭, G♭ |
| 3 (C) | 8, 9, 11 | A♭, B♭♭, C♭ |
| 2 (E) | 8, 10 | D♭♭, E♭♭ |
| 1 (A) | 9, 11 | G♭, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
A♭ altered contains A♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭♭, E♭♭, F♭, G♭. The scale degrees are 1, ♭2, ♭3, ♭4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7. It has seven notes, one for each degree. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ altered fits dominant chords with altered fifths, such as A♭ 7th flat 5 and A♭ 7th sharp 5. It also works over A♭ altered dominant chords. The scale provides tension that resolves to the tonic.
A♭ altered raises the fourth degree to D♭♭, while A♭ locrian has D♭. This creates a major third above the root instead of a perfect fourth. The altered scale is used over dominant chords, whereas locrian is used over half-diminished chords.