D Altered Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagram
D Altered Scale — Notes and Intervals
The D Altered scale is the ultimate dominant scale in jazz. On Guitar, its notes are D, Eb, F, F#, G#, Bb, C. 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: D, Eb, F, F#, G#, Bb, C
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 D Altered on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 10 on the 6th (low E) to find your D root note. Use a three-notes-per-string fingering to cover the full scale in one position, or learn the CAGED shapes to navigate the entire fretboard. An alternative starting point is open position using open D string.
The D 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
Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play the D Altered scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.
Exotic scales like the Altered often work best as a melodic layer over a single root drone on D. Let the unique intervals speak for themselves without frequent chord changes.
Guitar Tips
On guitar, practice the D Altered scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications.
The D Altered scale contains 7 notes (D, Eb, F, F#, G#, Bb, C). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for D Altered
The D 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.
Explore D Altered Further
- Harmonize the D Altered scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- D Altered on Ukulele
- D Altered on Bass
- D Altered on Piano
Explore D Altered in Other Tunings
- D Altered in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- D Altered in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- D Altered in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- D Altered in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- D Altered in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- D Altered in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- D Altered in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- D Altered in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- D Altered in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- D Altered in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- D Altered in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- D Altered in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- D Altered in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- D Altered in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)