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Ever come across a chord that looks like G7#9b13 and thought “What on earth do I play over that?”
Altered dominant chords can seem intimidating, especially if you’re an adult learner navigating jazz for the first time. But here’s the good news—they’re not as complicated as they seem, and once you understand the logic, they can actually make your improvisation sound rich, modern, and confident.
Hi, I’m Joel Purnell, and in this lesson, we’re diving into the world of altered dominant chords. I’ll walk you through what they are, where they come from, and most importantly, how to play over them with purpose. Whether you’re just getting started or you’re looking to add some grit to your solos, this is a key concept that can transform your jazz playing.
What Is an Altered Dominant Chord?
In jazz, you’ll often come across dominant chords that don’t look like your everyday G7 or D7. Instead, they might be labeled G7alt, G7♯9♭13, or include any wild combo of altered 5ths and 9ths. These are what we call altered dominant chords.
What does “altered” actually mean?
Simply put, an altered chord is a dominant chord where we keep the most important core notes—the root, third, and flat seventh—but we change (or “alter”) everything else to add tension and color. This makes the chord sound spicy, unresolved, and perfect for creating forward movement in a jazz progression.
“The three important notes are the third and the flat seventh… but also the root. Without it, we don’t know that that’s a major third or a flat seventh,”
When Can You Use Them?
You might see altered chords written into the music—like G7alt—or you might decide to use them yourself to create a modern sound. But here’s the key: only alter a dominant chord if it’s resolving to a I chord. That means it’s leading to a major or minor chord a fourth above, like G7 going to Cmaj7.
This happens all the time in jazz, especially in 2-5-1 progressions. So whenever you see a 5 chord (like G7) heading to a 1 chord (like Cmaj7), that’s your chance to spice it up with an altered scale.
How to Build an Altered Scale (The Easy Way)
Here’s where most players get stuck—figuring out what notes to use over an altered chord. Luckily, there’s a shortcut:
Take the root of the dominant chord, go up one semitone, and play the melodic minor scale from there.
So if you’ve got a G7alt chord, go up to A♭ and play an A♭ melodic minor scale—but start and end on G. That’s your G altered scale.
“What we’ve ended up with is basically an A♭ melodic minor scale, except we’re gonna play it from the root of the chord G to G, and this will be what’s called a G altered scale”
This scale gives you the full altered sound—flat 9, sharp 9, flat 5, sharp 5, and flat 13—all in one neat package.
Why It Works
Despite all the alterations, we’re still keeping those critical tones: the root, the third, and the flat seventh. These are the bones of the chord that tie it to its function in the progression. Everything else is fair game.
This approach gives you freedom to express yourself without losing the sense of direction in your solos. And the more familiar you get with melodic minor scales, the easier it becomes.
Need a refresher on scales? Check out our blog post on mastering melodic minor scales.
Want to explore 2-5-1 progressions in more depth? Here’s a great article that breaks it down.
Time to Try It Yourself
Inside Sax School Online, I’ve recorded an in-depth lesson where we go through altered dominant chords in all 12 keys, with downloadable resources and backing tracks to practice. It’s a brilliant way to not only understand the theory, but also to internalize the sound and start using it naturally in your solos.
If you’re looking to learn saxophone online, or you’re diving into adult beginner saxophone lessons, this is one concept that will really help you play saxophone with confidence.
Tutor Bio:
Joel Purnell is regarded as one of the top jazz educators and performers in the UK and has taught for over 20 years at the prestigious Leeds Conservatoire.
