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Scales Over Dominant Chords
6 minute read
There are a couple of scales that are considered in harmony with dominant chords—there are more options for scales in harmony for dominant chords than any other kind of chord. By scales in harmony, I mean scales that contain the dominant chord when the dominant chord is built off the root of the scale.
It’s important to be cognizant of what scale you are playing over a dominant chord not only for improvisation purposes, but also so that you know which scale you are implying by the extensions/alterations you choose to give to the dominant chord.
In this article I will be going over the notes in these scales as well as how to find the notes of the scales.
Modes of the Major Scale
These dominant chord scales are based off the major scales.
Dominant Scale
The dominant scale, also known as the mixolydian scale, is the fifth mode of the major scale. This is the most consonant sounding scale.
The extensions are 9, 11, 13.
It is derived from the major scale a perfect fifth below the root. In the case of the C dominant scale, it would be the F major scale.
Phrygian Scale
The phrygian scale is third mode of the major scale. This scale is a little special; it can only be used over a sus4 chord because the sus4 is in this scale, but not the major third.
The extensions are b9, #9, 11, b13.
It is derived from the major scale a major third below the root. In the case of the C phrygian scale, it would be the Ab Major scale.
Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale
These dominant chord scales are based off the melodic minor scale. The melodic minor scale is just the major scale with a b3.
Lydian Dominant Scale
This is the fourth mode of the melodic minor scale. You can also think of it as the first four notes being in the whole tone scale and the last three notes being I find that it sounds slightly dissonant and floaty due to the first four notes of this scale being part of the whole tone scale.
The extensions are 9, #11, 13.
It is derived from the melodic minor scale a fourth below the root. In the case of the C Lydian Dominant Scale, it would be the G melodic minor scale.
Dominant b13 Scale
This is the fifth mode of the melodic minor scale. I find that it sounds slightly dissonant and less floaty than the Lydian Dominant Scale. I find myself using this scale when I want a scale slightlier darker than the vanilla dominant scale and I also don’t want the floaty sound.
The extensions are 9, 11, b13.
It is derived from the melodic minor scale a fifth below the root. In the case of the C Lydian Dominant Scale, it would be the F melodic minor scale.
Altered Scale
This is the seventh mode of the melodic minor scale. You can also think of it as the first 4 notes being in the half whole scale and the last 3 notes being in the whole tone scale. You can also hear the floatiness in this scale. I’ve heard that this is a good scale to use over the 5 in a minor 2-5-1. I think in general the scale has a great mysterious and airy sound.
The extensions are b9, #9, #11, #5, b13.
It is derived from the melodic minor scale a half step above the root. In the case of the C altered scale, it would be the Db melodic minor scale.
Other Scales
Half Whole Scale
The half whole scale has a very “diminished” sound. I go more in depth with this in All About Diminished Chords. I find myself gravitating towards this scale fairly often. My guess is that this is because my background is in classical piano, and I heard somewhere that classical composers—especially Chopin, who I used to love listening to all the time—used the diminished chord often in their compositions. This is an 8 note scale.
You construct the scale by moving up a half step, then a whole step, then a half step, etc.
The extensions are b9, #9, #11, 13.
Whole Tone Scale
The whole tone scale is made up of all whole steps. Its distinctive floaty sound really pops out to me, and it’s easy to hear it in both the Lydian Dominant scale and the altered scale. I haven’t done the musical analysis myself, but I heard that the whole tone scale is common in the works of impressionist classical composers like Debussy and Ravel. This is a 6 note scale.
You construct the scale by moving in only whole steps.
The extensions are 9, #11, #5, b13.
Practicing This
I practice this by first picking the dominant chord scale I want to work on. Then I take a tune I’m working on and for each measure, play the corresponding scale for that chord. For major, minor, and half-diminished chords I play respectively the ionian mode, dorian mode, and locrian mode; these are the most basic scales for each of these chords, and my focus is on the dominant chord scales so I want to spend the most brainpower on those. Then for the dominant chords I play the dominant chord scale I chose to work on.
For the modes of the major and melodic minor scales, I always think about it in terms of the major or melodic minor scale it’s derived from. For example, for the C altered scale, I look at the note a half step above it and then I know I have to play the Db melodic minor scale starting from C. When you do it this way, overall you have to memorize less scales. This is because multiple dominant chord scales are derived from one melodic minor scale or one major scale. Pretty soon you’ll be able to memorize what each melodic minor scale looks like, and then what each dominant chord scale looks like.
Here is a noisy recording of me playing through the first 8 bars of “Stella By Starlight” with this exercise with altered scales in mind.
Final Note
By knowing these scales, you will have a better idea of what notes you can use to get a particular sound from each dominant chord, as well as the context for certain extensions or alterations of dominant chords.
Written on August 4th, 2020 by Chris Cheung