4 Whole Tone Scale Tricks for Piano Improvisation

The altered scale is the seventh mode of melodic minor and serves as the primary scale for improvising over altered dominant seventh chords. To find the altered scale for any chord, play the melodic minor scale a half step above the root—for G altered, use A♭ melodic minor starting on G. This scale contains all four altered tones (♭5, ♯5, ♭9, ♯9) plus the essential chord tones (root, third, flat seven). When improvising over a ii-V-I progression, use Dorian mode over the ii chord and the altered scale over the V chord. A typical line moves from Dm7 (Dorian) to G7 (altered scale) to Cmaj7, resolving strongly to the tonic.

The altered scale can be understood as the seventh mode of the melodic minor scale or as a diminished whole tone scale. Starting from a dominant chord like G7 sharp nine, the scale follows a pattern of half step, whole step, half step, whole step (the first part of a dominant diminished scale), then transitions into a whole tone scale pattern. This hybrid nature gives the altered scale its unique sound. The scale contains all altered notes for a dominant chord: root, flat nine, sharp nine, major third, flat five, sharp five, and flat seven, making it effective for resolving to major chords and creating tension in jazz and fusion music.

The Altered Dominant Scale (also known as Super Locrian or Diminished Whole Tone) is the seventh mode of the D flat melodic minor scale, containing all altered extensions of a dominant chord including both sharp and flat ninths (b9, #9) and both sharp and flat fifths (b5, #5), along with the third and flat seventh; this scale features characteristic triads such as diminished, augmented, minor, and Lydian qualities, and seventh chords including minor 7 flat 5, augmented 7, minor major 7, and Lydian dominant, making it highly versatile for jazz improvisation and chord substitutions.

The Super Locrian scale is a jazz scale derived from the Locrian mode by flattening the fourth degree, creating a unique combination of half-step and whole-step intervals that fits perfectly over dominant 7th altered chords (C7 with flat 9 and augmented 5), making it ideal for jazz improvisation on II-V-I progressions; this scale, famously used by Herbie Hancock and other modern jazz pianists, allows musicians to create sophisticated licks through ascending, descending, and combined patterns that resolve effectively to the tonic chord.

The melodic minor scale produces seven modes: Melodic Minor (minor major 7), Dorian b2 (minor 7 flat 9), Lydian Augmented (major 7 sharp 5), Mixolydian b6 (dominant 7 sharp 11), Locrian Natural 2 (minor 7 flat 5), Altered Dominant (all extensions), and Super Locrian (diminished). The harmonic minor scale produces: Harmonic Minor (minor major 7), Locrian Natural 6 (minor 7 flat 5), Ionian Augmented (major 7 sharp 5), Dorian Sharp 4 (minor 7 sharp 4), Phrygian Major (dominant 7 flat 9), Altered Dominant, and Locrian Natural 2 (minor 7 flat 5). Auxiliary scales include Tonic Diminished (whole-half pattern), Dominant Diminished (half-whole pattern), Whole Tone Scale, Augmented Scale, Major/Minor Pentatonic, Blues Scales, and Flat 6/Flat 5 Pentatonic. Essential jazz progressions include: I-IV-V (blues/rock); ii-V-I (fundamental jazz); iii-vi-ii-V (Rhythm Changes); I-vi-ii-V; vi-ii-V-I; and Minor 251 (minor 7 flat 5 - dominant 7 flat 9 - minor 7).

The octatonic scale (also called the diminished scale) is an eight-note mode of limited transposition with a distinctive alternating half-step/whole-step pattern (H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W), containing two fully diminished seventh chords within its structure; it is particularly effective for improvisation over dominant seventh chords and diminished chords, offering dark, ominous sounds popularized by composers like Debussy and Messiaen, and provides unique harmonic colors through its tritones, minor thirds, perfect fourths, and perfect fifths.

The dominant diminished scale is a symmetrical 8-note scale with an alternating pattern of half tones and whole tones (half, whole, half, whole, half, whole, half, whole), which allows musicians to create repetitive melodic figures by moving up minor thirds. This scale serves four dominant chords (Bb7, F7, G7) and can be used for both dominant and diminished chords, providing a foundation for jazz improvisation and reharmonization techniques.

The diminished scale (also called the octatonic scale) is a symmetrical eight-note scale consisting of alternating whole steps and half steps (W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H), widely used in classical and jazz music to create tension, modulate keys, or produce unusual sounds; despite having only two distinct physical shapes on the guitar fretboard, it can be mapped to five different positions using the root-to-root method, and is primarily applied over diminished seventh chords and dominant seventh chords to add harmonic interest and tension to improvisation.

The diminished scale is an octatonic (eight-note) scale characterized by its symmetrical half-step-whole-step pattern, which creates an ambiguous, unresolved sound quality ideal for building tension in jazz improvisation, particularly over dominant 7th chords with alterations; it contains three distinct scales that repeat every three semitones and can be applied using tritone substitutions and symmetrical shapes that work across the instrument.

The dominant diminished scale (half-step/whole-step pattern) is the most effective scale for improvising over dominant 7th chords because it contains essential color notes (flat 9, sharp 9, flat 5/sharp 11, and 13th) that create sophisticated jazz sounds. To create compelling solo lines, combine three essential rhythms (eighth notes, triplets, and turns) with three movement patterns (stepwise motion, thirds, and outlining seventh chords within the scale).

The blues scale fingering pattern uses fingers 1-2-3 for the first three notes, then 1-2-3 again for the next three notes, and finishes with the thumb (dedo uno) underneath. This pattern applies to both D minor blues scale and F major blues scale. When practicing across multiple octaves, continue the 1-2-3 pattern and finish with the thumb under, then use finger 5 on the next octave. Return by playing 3-2-1. The left hand provides bass accompaniment using the root note or fifth.

The whole tone scale is symmetrical because it consists entirely of whole tones, meaning starting from any note produces the same six-note pattern. Any note in the scale can serve as the root (tonic), making it highly versatile. For the C whole tone scale, recommended fingering patterns include: 1-2-3-4-2-3-4-1-2-1-2-3-4-1-2-1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-2-1. These patterns can be repeated for multiple octaves and work similarly for other starting notes like F.

This section covers how to create and practice extended runs using the extended scale pattern. The instructor demonstrates breaking runs into grouped sections of three and four notes (D-C-A, C-A-G-E, A-G-E, G-E-D-C-A-G) to make them more manageable. Two effective fingering approaches are shown: using pinky and index finger for diagonal hand position, or index, middle, and ring fingers for parallel hand position. The instructor emphasizes practicing slowly first, then gradually building speed, and always returning to a baseline note after the run to maintain musical direction.

For major scales with flats (F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb), the right hand pattern is 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 with thumb passing under finger 4. For black keys (Bb), start with finger 2. For the left hand: 5-4-3-2-1-4-3-2-1 with thumb passing over finger 4. For Bb major, start with finger 3. To play scales across multiple octaves, when using finger 4, pass the thumb to continue the pattern. For C major: 1-2-3-1-2-3-4, then pass thumb and repeat 1-2-3-4, finally using finger 5 to close. For the left hand, when reaching finger 1, pass finger 4 to continue. A four-layer method for learning scales: Layer 1 - Practice each hand separately, starting slowly without metronome, then adding metronome at slow tempo. Practice one octave first, then two octaves. Layer 2 - Practice both hands together in parallel motion (same direction), maintaining relaxation and regularity. Layer 3 - Practice hands in contrary motion (one up, one down) across two octaves. Layer 4 - Practice one hand playing chords while the other plays the scale, connecting harmony with scales. Progress through layers only when comfortable with previous ones.

After mastering basic finger exercises, progress by advancing one key at a time across the keyboard. Start with do-re-mi-fa-sol, then move to re-mi-fa-sol-la, and continue advancing through the entire keyboard. Once basic exercises are mastered, gradually increase speed while maintaining accuracy. Start by practicing slowly, then progressively make the exercises faster. These exercises can be performed on any keyboard regardless of size.

Modal Jazz creates non-functional tension with chords, meaning chords still create different amounts of tension and have a tendency to lead back to the tonic chord, even though there is no functional harmony. This tension is much more subtle, vague, and ambiguous compared to dominant chords wanting to go to the tonic. Because chord changes are boring and lack progression, Modal Jazz forces improvisers to be more creative and focus on creating interesting melodies rather than merely outlining chord changes.

Modal Jazz emerged as a response to the restrictions of functional harmony. It uses non-functional harmony, meaning there is no inevitable movement toward a tonic chord. Modal jazz typically retains a tonal center but operates within a diatonic mode (such as D Dorian) rather than following chord progressions. This allows greater improvisational freedom because there are no guide tones or avoid notes to follow. The improviser's goal becomes creating interesting melodies within the given mode or scale, though they remain restricted to that particular mode.

When writing non-functional or atonal harmonies, composers face the challenge that purely atonal music without a tonal center is almost impossible to achieve. Two main approaches exist: vertical harmony (thinking in terms of chords and their relationships) and horizontal harmony (thinking in terms of individual note movements). Vertical harmony includes functional harmony (tonic, dominant, subdominant relationships) and non-functional approaches. Horizontal harmony focuses on modal harmony where all notes come from one particular collection of notes (mode). The ear can detect connections between harmonies that move by step, by a fifth (due to the overtone series), or where something stays the same while something else changes. Ligeti's second piano etude demonstrates how harmonic movement can be guided through fifths or stepwise movement without relying on functional harmony. Modal harmony is a horizontal approach where individual chords are less important than the collection of notes used. However, composers can create more nuanced approaches where vertical chords and horizontal modes interact even when they somewhat contradict each other, creating uncertainty that composers explore in contemporary music.

Tonal harmony (used in Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods) relies on major/minor keys, functional chord progressions with predominant, dominant, and tonic functions, and a clear tonal center where chords gravitate toward resolution; modal harmony (associated with Miles Davis and John Coltrane's Modal Jazz) uses all modes, lacks functional harmony, and still maintains a tonal center but allows chords to float independently without resolving tension, creating a more ambiguous and modern sound that gives improvisers greater freedom.

Harmonic function is the role a chord plays within a key, describing its relationship to the tonic and its tendency to move. Music has three basic functions: Tonic (starting point), Subdominant (continuation), and Dominant (resolution). When chords are selected randomly without functional relationships, each chord sounds as an isolated entity that can be stopped on. This non-functional progression lacks direction and meaning, sounding strange even in modal contexts because the listener cannot perceive relationships between chords.