The Altered scale (Super Locrian) is THE jazz dominant scale. Every extension is altered - b9, #9, b5/#11, b13. It provides maximum tension over dominant chords resolving to their target. Essential vocabulary for bebop and modern jazz.
Scale Formula
1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7 - all tensions altered. Semitone pattern: H W H W W W W
Fretboard (C Altered)
Toggle to interval view to see just how altered this scale is. Every note except the root, 3rd (enharmonic b4), and b7 is a tension that wants to resolve.
Common Chords
Dom 7th alt (1 3 b7 with any combination of b9/#9/b5/#5), Dom 7b9#9, Dom 7#9b13.
Diatonic Harmony
Improvisation Context
Play over dominant 7th altered chords - any V7 that resolves, especially in minor ii-V-i progressions. Think of it as melodic minor built from a half step above the root of the dominant chord (e.g., Db melodic minor over C7alt).
Practice
Play C Altered over a C7 drone. The tension is intentional - this scale is designed to resolve. Now apply it: over a Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 progression, play G Altered (= Ab melodic minor) over the G7. Every altered tension resolves smoothly into Cmaj7. The b9 (Ab) resolves to G, the #9 (A#/Bb) resolves to A or B, and the b13 (Eb) resolves to E. This is the sound of modern jazz harmony.