The altered scale is a sound that combines the three most important notes of a Dominantseventh chord (root, major third, and flat seventh) with the tension-filled notes b9, #9, b5, and #5. This sound is part of the standard repertoire in Mainstream Jazz. It sounds great, when you play altered scales and chords on the fifth degree (these are the aforementioned Dominant seventh chords), which then resolve to the I. degree (which can be major or minor). Here you'll learn how to use the altered sound on the V. degree using II-V-I progressions (the most important chord progression in Jazz).
Level
Moderate
Lessons
10 Lessons | min
Lesson 1Introduction
Duration: min
Let me introduce you to the topics covered in the course "Altered".
Lesson 2What does "altered" mean?
Duration: min
Here you'll learn the structure of the altered scale that you can use in the II-V-I progression Dm7, G7alt, Cmaj7 as an example.
Lesson 3Introducing II-V7alt-I
Duration: min
The scales within a progression like Dm7, G7alt, Cmaj7 alternate as follows: Over Dm7 you play D Dorian, over G7alt the altered scale with the root G, and over Cmaj7 it's C Ionian. D Dorian and C Ionian both consist of the notes of the C major scale (each with D or C as the root). Therefore, only on the middle chord G7alt does it switch back and forth into the exciting world of altered notes. Here you can see my encouragement to practice the licks in Video number 4 and the important invitation to try composing such lines yourself.
Lesson 4Ten eighth-note licks over II-V7alt-I in C (low register)
Duration: min
These eighth-note licks are the key to typical Jazz melodic lines, even in improvisations. Practice the licks carefully and analyze them: Where are the target notes, which intervals on which chord are used, and above all, when exactly is tension created and released?
Lesson 5Scales for II-V7alt-II (high position)
Duration: min
Here I'll show you a second important area of the fretboard for your use of the previously developed sounds.
Lesson 6Ten eighth-note licks over II-V7alt-I in C (high register)
Duration: min
And again, there are ten important licks that will guide you in the higher positions of the fretboard. These are also worth analyzing: Where are the target notes, which intervals on which chord are used, and above all, when exactly is tension created and released?
Lesson 7Making up your own lines using eights notes
Duration: min
It's very important to make up your own lines and I'm strongly encouraging you doing this with just eights notes.
Lesson 8Ab melodic minor vs G altered
Duration: min
Ab melodic minor has the same notes as G7 altered. G7 altered is thus the seventh degree of the melodic minor scale in Ab. That's nice, but it never really bothered me so much, and in this video I'll explain why.
Lesson 9More G7alt chords
Duration: min
Here are some of my favorite chords using G7 altered as an example.
Lesson 10More II-V7alt-I-chord progressions
Duration: min
Finally I'll show you more exciting chord progressions to realize II-V7alt-I with a nice voice-leading from chord to chord.
