C Altered Scale

mode

At a Glance

Formula:: C altered
Notes:: C, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#

Piano

Fretboard

What It Is

The 7th mode of melodic minor, also called Super Locrian - every alterable degree relative to the major scale is flattened except the root. Notes: C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bb.

How It Functions

Contains nearly every common altered-dominant tension (b9, #9, #11, b13) against the chord's root, 3rd, and 7th.

Mood & Character

Maximally tense - the 'everything bent' scale, used specifically for its clashing, unresolved color right before a dominant chord resolves.

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