G Altered Bass Scale
Bass scale — fretboard diagram
G Altered Scale — Notes and Intervals
The G Altered scale is the ultimate dominant scale in jazz. On Bass, its notes are G, Ab, A#, B, C#, Eb, F. It contains every possible altered tension, making it sound extremely dissonant and complex. It is used by professional improvisers to create maximum tension over a dominant chord before a satisfying resolution. Commonly used in Jazz, Fusion, Post-Bop, Contemporary. Notable players include John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea. Use over 7alt, 7#9, 7b9, 7#5, 7b5 chords. The definitive scale for altered dominant chords that resolve to minor. Play C Altered over C7alt resolving to Fm.
Notes: G, Ab, A#, B, C#, Eb, F
Intervals: 1P, 2m, 2A, 3M, 4A, 6m, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 #3 4 #5 b6 b7
Formula: H-W-H-W-W-W-W
Number of notes: 7
Also known as: super locrian, diminished whole tone, pomeroy
How to Play G Altered on Bass
On bass, locate G on the E string at fret 3. Use a one-finger-per-fret approach starting from the root and span two to three strings. Keep your fretting hand relaxed and practice shifting between positions cleanly.
The G Altered scale contains both sharps and flats (2 sharps, 2 flats), which is common in altered and exotic scales. This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Begin by playing the G Altered scale ascending and descending at 80 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (G-A#, Ab-B) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.
Exotic scales like the Altered often work best as a melodic layer over a single root drone on G. Let the unique intervals speak for themselves without frequent chord changes.
Bass Tips
On bass, use the G Altered scale to build walking bass lines by targeting chord tones on strong beats and using scale tones as approach notes. This is the foundation of functional bass playing.
The G Altered scale contains 7 notes (G, Ab, A#, B, C#, Eb, F). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Bass with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for G Altered
The G Altered scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 7-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.