EXERCISE SIX

Altered scales are hardly the kindest vocabulary to portray, as they sound a little odd and don’t really reside neatly under the hand. Thankfully, there’s an awesome hack that simplifies the entire process, making this vocabulary instantly accessible! All you need to do is perform three simple steps: (i) play a major triad (ii) locate the b 5th and #5th intervals, and (iii) play the said major triad from the aforementioned. You see, performing a major triad from the b 5th allows you to access the b5th, b 7th and b 9th intervals. Similarly, if you then play the same structure from the #5th you’ll access the #5th, tonic and #9th intervals. Once you can locate these two structures, using altered vocabulary is as straightforward as delivering major triads.