The Altered Scale (the only video you need)

[@tubeo94]

That altered scale is that jazz sound i was looking for. Great stuff as always.

[@Piano_Pig]

Altered scale is king!

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Terrific lesson. Perfectly lays it out is simple terms. So many guys get caught up in their own cleverness when making tutorials that they complicate the issue further. And they take 20 minutes to do it! I'd recommend this video to anyone who wanted to get an understanding of how to us ethe altered scale.

[@dersanftekrieger]

One of the best piano channels ever. Stunning!

[@georgehiggins1320]

Mulgrew Miller is one of my favorite utilizers of the altered scale. If I Were A Bell is a treasure trove of altered ideas.

[@graphicsociety1]

Thanks for demystifying the very challenging altered scale. I’m a guitar player but yet found this video super useful.

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Guitar player on and off 50 years. Had Piano lessons from 7th grade to 12th grade. Paid for my ⛽ in 12th grade teaching guitar. Mainly taught country. Still not the best note reader in regards to piano. I just got the Casio W200 w/ 5 octaves. Trying to revisit easy classical at first.

[@gabethebabe8187]

Wow! I have a very hard time making lines using that type of scale, as well as other diminished scales, but you gave some great ideas for us, thanks!

[@Piano_Pig]

You're welcome Gabe!

[@hautboisjc]

Another way is if it’s a C altered scale, play a B Major scale (1 semitone below C) but replace B with C

[@howiseeit5326]

Cheers.

[@danielquevedo4893]

??

[@thisperson6146]

Thats a good way of remembering how to play the altered scale. Thinking of the Semitone scale below but starting on the key above.

[@austinpat4807]

I've thought of another way. Yk how modes have different amount of flatted notes? The altered scales flats all 6 non-tonic degrees

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Never noticed that. Good observation.I noticed about 2 years ago if you say C Bb Ab Gb Fb Eb Db C. That does get messy in the flats or the sharps.

[@richarpadilla1891]

In general one of the best jazz piano videos i've ever seen !

[@ilmupiano]

Its been a great honour to have this knowledge for free from you

[@asia2067]

Great speaking with you the other day!

[@Piano_Pig]

Yes it really was! Hope everything is going well 😃🐷

[@crispindry]

Whenever I fancy learning something awesome on piano I just open up this channel and watch a video. Epic. Thanks.

[@machufajita4044]

this literally is the only video i would need for the altered scale, thank u for explaining it’s structure and functionality so well!!

[@roystongaynor1453]

Thanks, very clearly and well explained. You have shone some light on the concept of jazz This genre seems logically based and not just being random and bedlam I am being motivated to it, thanks

[@curandero88]

Once again, you did a great job showing that concept, and in context. I never thought about how I play over altered stuff. I've been too random.

[@Piano_Pig]

Thanks man! Glad you found it useful 🙂

[@1whoDoesSimply]

Thanks so much! I completely forgot altered scales/chords existed - this helped a TON!!!

[@d3a1990]

5:54 Well this is the sound I’ve been searching for! Thank you!!!

[@JumpIrina]

this is so clearly and concisely explained, THANK YOU!!!

[@mulattotvc15]

Hi simon ive followed you for a year now & to be honest i just like your style. This was really useful ive locked horns with the altered scale with other tutors , but never got anywhere. You made it very simple & just seems a useable scale. It makes you expand your set of notes you dont have to avoid .. i also like your voicings they sound really modern (aka as mr. Glasper. When i first watched you i was intimidated thinking id never get near that level but a year later i won't be opening a you tube channel but i can do stuff. You arent so rigid as others so i find i can trial & error your stuff & in a morning come up wit somut. Anyway i just like to say thanks as i guess there's a legión of us out here using your stuff who never respond to. You. All the best & any bossa, montuno or amy (frank,) whitehouse would be grest.

[@Piano_Pig]

I really appreciate the comment man. Great to hear you've been finding everything so useful. Keep up the practice, you got this!

[@HinzRafael]

Great explanation! You are the first I’ve seen break it down like this

[@rkasander64]

Thank you. In case you didn’t know, you are great! Perfect lesson.

[@santiviet2656]

Thanks Simón for your time and effort!..

[@georgehiggins1320]

One of the ways I've been training myself to think about the altered scale is by keeping what you can, then replacing whole-tone chunks with the other whole-tone scale. For example, C mixolydian has three common notes with C alt, namely the C, E, & Bb. In mixolydian, the C & E would be connected by D, forming a short three-note whole-tone scale. F, G, & A also form a short whole-tone scale but it's the opposite whole-tone scale as E, Bb, & C. If you switch the lower part from D to Db & D#, you get a single whole-tone which comes from the opposite whole-tone scale as C & E, and if you switch the upper part from F, G, & A to F# & Ab, that becomes part of a whole-tone scale connecting E to C across the top half of the scale. It sounds really confusing explaining it in this way, but essentially, just seeing all scales as a collection of miniature whole-tone scales connected with half-steps makes it easier for me to see the visual patterns and transpose them much more quickly.

[@lili_blanc]

I am a new subscriber from Philippines 🇵🇭!I really enjoy watching this kind of piano tutorials because i think i could learn how to play it somehow tho i couldn’t afford a real piano so i would just watch it instead ;)))

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

There are 2 keyboards that I recommend. The Casio W-200 (76 keys ) good for most sheet music and the Casio Ctk4200. More portable, but 👍 for practicing scales and many other things. The sound quality of both is fantastic. They both are great to compose on. They both record. I would like to see them have easier programming. That also is not my forte.

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Been there done that..bought the T shirt. I live in my means. Learned years ago to turn down credit offers. I was given a casio Ctk4200. It only has 4 octaves. You can get a lower octave in a few seconds and play most classical music. I mostly do improv. and classical music is not my forte. Consider the 5 octave Casio W 200..It is worth looking into. The best.

[@lili_blanc]

@@PIANOSTYLE100 Thank you so much!! i’ll keep that in mind❤️❤️ i’m going to subscribe also to your channel!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

I mentioned the Casio W-200.. I think it is 6 octaves..Please check..Anyways..I think it will play anything I need to play..I would buy from a reputable store in your country. It probably weighs 20+ pounds. Also try to make sure the owners manual is provided. It is on the web, but you might want to print out certain sections. Paul from Pianostyle100.

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Thank you for subscribing. I have many lessons. I am not a jazz pro but I do have many tips in my videos. I only do simple videos in the classical genre. I learned some of this.. circa 72-76. Paul.

[@martifingers]

I know very little about jazz but this was so clearly explained I think I understand a little about something that seemed impossibly esoteric. Great tutorial.

[@Piano_Pig]

Glad you found it useful!

[@olivierbyinshi1064]

You are amazing… this lesson is very helpful to me and many people. Thank for your time .

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Simon..reviewing this video. A good way to learn the alt scale is to put pinkie on the octave. In C, I go down by whole notes untill the thumb lands on the major 3rd (E) then half whole to to C. Notes would be C Bb Ab Gb (E D# Db C) Of course a good check is tbe 7th mode of the Db melodic minor. See below ..Edited below Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C E C .

[@ironryan2009]

Can you explain more? In key of C, you put pinkie on C? Then what? I don’t understand purpose of putting pinkie on the octave. I get playing melodic minor a half step up from root though

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

@@ironryan2009 Brian..this was something I discovered about a year ago. The right hand pinky on C is the highest note in the C alt scale. The remaining 4 fingers end on E. C Bb Ab Gb (E)..All whole tones down. That takes care of the whole tones at the top of the C alt scale. The rest of the notes are Eb Db C. It becomes very easy to this. Actually it is easier to do this than the C major scale. Whole tone down till the major 3rd E. Then half step whole pattern. This can be done in the 12 🔑 s. A little harder to see in other keys. I find C is easiest. Going up HWHWWWW.. Hope this answers your question about the pinky. The reason for the pinky on the right hand; is the other fingers will follow extremely fast. I guessing..It takes less than a second to descend in C and probably a second up. Not quite as fast on most of the other keys.

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Brian..I have been there..still am. Been playing guitar and piano ..for years and I still struggle sometimes.

[@theoryman2]

Thanks for demystifying the Altered Scale. It makes sense now. I like the part about going up a half step playing the melodic minor! Great job...

[@arronclarke6760]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@custardapplejazz]

Thank you for generously sharing your kool trick Simon !

[@blindsfitvince2443]

Thank You, this is helpful. Appreciated

[@arthurcantrell8593]

Thanks for sharing! Having it explained like you did makes it so much easier to understand. Much appreciated!

[@Piano_Pig]

My pleasure! 🙏

[@leahgodson2319]

Great lesson; thank you.

[@ldifalco2010]

Yes, altered scales do share the same tones as the melodic minor scale. But I strongly feel it's better to learn the altered scale by understanding its half step, whole step relationship and how the scale tones make up the altered chord tones of the dominant 7th. Obviously it's the same result but I just think the concept of knowing that the altered scale is made up of tonic, flat 9, sharp 9, third, flat 5(#11), flat 13, and flat 7 of the dominant will help make the scale become more ingrained in soloing as well as chord voicing. But you are of course correct in that except for the starting note (which of course is nebulous when improvising), alt and melodic minor are one in the same.

[@harrygalloway2117]

It can also be referred as the diminished whole tone scale.Just another way to look at it.

[@Achdings]

good video fam, good licks as well, thanks !

[@2002jorgeparr]

You are AWESOME DUDE! THE BEST SO FAR🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

[@jacobsmithjr]

Great explanation. The only thing I would add is to specify using the melodic ascending notes only.

[@edrock26]

Excellent tutorial, Simon! I understand the Altered Scale now. Thank You!

[@ivanmectin9106]

I always feel happy when I watch a pianopig video :)

[@Piano_Pig]

🙏🙏🙏

[@andresaxmanbrown]

This is SO good. So clear.

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Btw.. like the alt chords you are using.

[@william2496]

The Altered scale is the same as the Super Locrian and the Lydian Augmented of the 3rd. It can seem incredibly bright but also incredibly dark making it so alien, so its basically the antithesis to the major scale as neither bright or dark like the other modes

[@tioliak]

Thank you for the lesson!

[@mukisajoshua3596]

Thank you for this one.....more knowledge for me am greatful ☺️

[@Piano_Pig]

You're welcome, Mukisa! 😃🙏

[@mukisajoshua3596]

@@Piano_Pig My pleasure

[@balladkeys20]

Super helpful!! Thanks Simon

[@Bashanvibe]

I play that scale in almost every song!!!

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Nice vid. 💯⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@truthbound4323]

Great video - thanks so much for this

[@_sonicfive]

Thanks! Another tool for my tool belt.

[@peeftribos]

amazing video, thanks.

[@Piano_Pig]

You're welcome! 🙏

[@curtpiazza1688]

Cool! Great lesson!

[@scottlarson1548]

One thing you could do at the beginning is point out some songs that use the Altered Scale or play something that uses it. Often you have to use a real world example of something to get students intrigued.

[@byronstcg]

I think of it as the major scale (ionian mode) with a sharpened root

[@davidceredig-evans8772]

Great vid! Thanks.

[@matt4078]

amazing video 👏👏

[@Piano_Pig]

Thanks Matt! 🙏

[@murrrr8288]

Great video!

[@SimonCLees]

Brilliant video mate - thanks for making it!

[@Piano_Pig]

My pleasure, thanks for watching it! 🙏

[@AyeshaShaSha]

Why you always release videos when I'm cooking dinner I'll never know...🤣🤣 But as always I'm HERE for it!!!

[@Piano_Pig]

Haha perfect timing 😉

[@AyeshaShaSha]

@@Piano_Pig making some *altered* rice and peas right about now hahaha! Really liked this lesson and it was lovely speaking to you the other day too!

[@culturedslob]

Bro youre the best

[@AndreBeckner]

La escala más importante!.

[@johnyentes6643]

this is a great video. thanks!

[@RandyTorrez-wb5sz]

RANDY JUDAH TORREZ ❤ < Thanks for making something that sounds complicated is actually very easy with Tutorials like this and a professional teacher Thank you Simon i really appreciate it. 🎹

[@fabriziovincitorio9377]

Great lesson!!!

[@itsayesfromme2669]

Very good.

[@DamienLeloup]

Very interesting. What scale(s) do you play when you’re not on the dominant chord though?

[@laurielyon7740]

Once again, another gem of a tutorial. Thanks!!

[@moazzamabbas1112]

Very nice

[@Pepper-g7l]

I love your channel bro, thank you very much for sharing this gold with all of us

[@Piano_Pig]

My pleasure, glad you're enjoying the channel!

[@Pepper-g7l]

@@Piano_Pig 200% bro, Love you and god bless you

[@christianschmidt1765]

At 4:56 I don't get the notes. A G7 as I understand it has G, B, D, F but what he played was missing the D and instead had an A and an E. What am I missing here?

[@UnknownUser-te8zu]

Christian Schmidt, my thought-process of the chord was that he actually played a "shell voicing" (meaning include only the essential tones 1, 3 and 7), then he just add the other color tones such as the 9th of the chord "A" in G dominant and the 6th/13th "E" of the G dominant chord.

[@markdavenport2613]

I had a similar question a year ago on another of his videos on improvising. He tends to use rootless voicings where instead of playing a block chord from the root position, he'll play the chord starting from the 3rd and play the original root note in the bass (or leave it out an let the bass player do it). The highest note in this chord (starting from the 3rd) is now a 9th interval when you include the bass note. Without the bas note, it sounds like a 7 chord. He gets into it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWO5kGSEoM5-acU

[@UnknownUser-te8zu]

@@markdavenport2613 yeah that's definitely true. You're right about jazz pianists tend to leave out bass notes since upright bassists will play it for them. In jazz theory, they don't want to double the bass note played on piano and upright bass since the frequencies of both timbres will clash with one another. That's why sometimes in a solo jazz piano, pianists also rarely play root octaves. But you are not bounded to play octaves in every situation that you need them the most. You've got the best of both worlds from them.

[@junemystery573]

I love Nordic music!

[@jodyguilbeaux8225]

that is what i always called COCKTAIL PIANO , what a beautiful sound. fantastic lesson thanks.

[@Original_Lurke_fromthe_Unknown]

Great Video.

[@vazap8662]

Great video, thanks for the tips! Is it just me, but the way I tend to approach the altered scale is more as a variant of the same tone diminished scale, only with 3 full tones at the end. Only because I approached and got the hang of diminished scales first, but also because their seems to be more meaningful connections between those two modes (despite different number of notes in the scales) than an altered scale and minor melodic from 1/2 tone above. Is anyone else having this kind of ideas?

[@arpadternei6991]

Great stuff! Thanks! ;)

[@robertdepiano]

Thank you :)

[@thebusylazybasist9692]

its also a HW dim. scale with a raised 5th and ignored 6th and d super locrain of d natural minor chord semiton above d root 👊💪

[@aaronperez216]

Eso es todo piano puerco!!! suena genial.

[@singingPanda420]

Please help: I am so confused by this video. I thought the melodic minor sharpened the 6th and 7th degrees ascending and flattened them on the descent. Did I get it wrong or am I missing something please? I would really appreciate your help.

[@derekgreenwood9672]

Yes, you're absolutely right. I prefer to use the intervals method in order to avoid confusing myself.

[@singingPanda420]

@@derekgreenwood9672 Thanks man, I appreciate it.

[@banjobanjo-xn7lq]

In jazz music, the melodic minor is simply the ASCENDING form. In CLASSICAL music theory the 7th and 6th are lowered when descending. So for jazz simply use the ascending form of raised 6th and 7th.

[@singingPanda420]

@@banjobanjo-xn7lq Thank you so much, this is really helpful.

[@-K-Depbluhole]

Nice.

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Simon just revisited my comment. It was accurate untill the last part. I wrote..( See below ). I had put the C alt scale as a pictorial view. Somehow the effort was skewed. I have straightened it out. I just edited the old comment. I corrected the graphics.

[@lolitofernandez3183]

Sos el mejor 😊😉🎶

[@WoodyGamesUK]

What I found is that if you just use the altered scale on a dominant chord without knowing what you're doing, it may sound horrible. That's why this video is a very good starting point, then the next step is to listen and copy a lot of examples in order to get some vocabulary, and make it sound in the style, rather than random (and being an altered scale that is made to be dissonant, random doesn't sound pretty but just wrong).

[@Piano_Pig]

Great advice!

[@RalphBrooker-gn9iv]

Hi. I’m an ear player mainly though understand some theoretical rudiments. I play modern jazz. I’m working Lennie Tristano’s Requiem, a Prelude in Bb followed by a haunting blues in F. It was written for the late Charlie Parker. The prelude is relatively easy alternating between Gmin & Cmin/G slash chords. The opening prelude is almost rubato. It gently resolves from Gmin to A7/G to Abmaj7/G. This is fairly straightforward forward to until a D7alt appears. I had to look that up and what given this fingering: D F F# A# C It sounds bloody awful. I can play round this in a kind of lazy way. But that chord as written sounds dreadful. Have I gone wrong? As I understand you video the altered scale D would start of D# and not have the clashing D. Hope you can make sense of thisz

[@wchen2340]

its so beautiful. but i need drills to have a chance at all :-/

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

I have worked out several ways of doing this. Do C alt scale first..but in reverse. C Bb Ab Gb E.. now half whole steps.from E ..to C. E D# Db C. or a little less correct but easier to remember E Eb Db C.

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Have you worked out your drills. Some scale like C are extremely easy. I do the easy ones first and try to see patterns Eg. C F G have the same fingering the first 4 notes.. they can be identified in various ways. One way would be Root or (R b9 #9 3)..I used to call that (R b2 #2 3)..The latter is accurate, but more often is said as the former, not the latter. I am texting might be mistake. Here are the C F and G alt scales. They can be written in various ways. Diminished W tone scale. (C Db Eb) E Gb Ab Bb C (F Gb Ab A ) B Db Eb F (G Ab Bb B) Db Eb F G

[@pedrohenrique-su3ot]

Hello from Brazil. 📍🇧🇷🥁🎉🎊🎺🎷🔥

[@Piano_Pig]

Hey!

[@bestintuba]

What chord extensions aside from #5 will fit the altered scale?

[@raucousgeorge]

Flat and sharp 9 and flat 5 are all in there as well

[@adilsonjr5705]

Nice ! Super interessante!!!😃👍

[@Piano_Pig]

🙏🙏🙏

[@salamandrum]

I am new to music theory, so can anyone please explain me one thing? Why is he saying that the chord is G7 and plays GFABE? Isn’t G7 in C major GBDF?

[@Jesse-mh6hv]

I think of it as the Locrion mode but flattened the 4th hence the other title Super Locrion (I think they look really similar)

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Good point..years ago.. I noticed that you flat everything except the root. C Bb Ab..etc. The best.

[@johnwest6690]

How come so many of the chords you play are missing their roots? in your improv you played FACE for example, when it should have been DFACE or FACED so you actually include the root? How is it a 2-5-1 when the chords can so easily be mistaken for, say a 4-5-3? I say 3 because you don't use C in the last chord but instead double up on E, almost instilling that E/III feeling. Could you possibly explain?

[@johnwest6690]

Also is this something that only/mainly happens in Jazz or do other genres do this too?

[@Piano_Pig]

They are called rootless voicings, check this video out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWO5kGSEoM5-acU

[@johnwest6690]

@@Piano_Pig okay thank you, Naturally I tried to do it myself yesterday and got very frustrated when I couldn't do it. Lol!

[@wwjohan]

I believe it's not the same as melodic descending minor scale though, so might be confusing to say its same as altered and not refering to only ascending melodic minor scale. Since ascending melodic minor scale is the one that has raised 6th and 7th. Descending melodic minor is same as natural minor scale. At least this is what I've recently learned but since its an ocean of information on the net I might have gotten ahold of wrong information.

[@wwjohan]

You know what I guess this is jazz version of melodic minor. Got explained to me that classic melodic minor is what have different ascending and descending scales

[@jazzyelectonesurabaya7363]

❤❤❤

[@einercanchimbocuenca]

Tradusir al español grasias😊

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

🎹 🐖. Just for the fun of it. I just put this in the free app on play store called Maestro. I set it to 60 bpm and set it to repeat 4 x. HWdimWtone. I think they have done a bit of improvement on it. Press help and it plays a \ show. Slide = \. I have done self study of Donna Lee standard with it. I set it to Sax. I think. Great Video. Love your videos. The Best

[@theyousefkhan]

wait but dont melodic minors go differently downwards than upwards?

[@theoryman2]

You are correct. However, you have to separate traditional theory from jazz theory. In jazz you learn the rule and then you break it. In jazz the descending part is ignored. Remember it's theory not fact. Happy practice and playing.

[@theyousefkhan]

@@theoryman2 thank you!!

[@harrywise8746]

so c altered scale = c locrian?

[@smitlag]

It closely resembles the octonic scale now that I look at it

[@ejo3571]

I’m a slob, I’m gonna eat this up 🤣

[@SokHeangKh-vz5lv]

អគុណដែរបានចែករំលែកគន្លិះសំខាន់ៗអោយប្អូនចេះ

[@SokHeangKh-vz5lv]

idol

[@user-bk6lt4rq9d]

Nice bho :)