In order to understand how to use altered dominant chords, it is normally a good idea to firstly learn about dominant chords, including how to construct them, when to play them and how to resolve them nicely.
Once we understand how to use dominant chords, the next step is to start playing around with various alterations, so that we can create a variety of different sounds / types of tension in our music. Here on this page, we will run through the most common types of altered chords and we will also help you understand the basic theory behind each of them.
The first altered chord we will look at is the dominant 7th b5 chord. To construct a dominant 7th b5 chord, we start with a normal dominant 7th chord, which is made up of the 1-3-5-b7 notes of the major scale (C-E-G-Bb) and we make one small adjustment, which is to flatten the 5th note (from G to Gb).
The combination of the b5 note within the dominant chords creates a very unique sound which is often useful in minor keys or as a passing chord into a minor piano chord (where the context of our music aligns with this type of sound).
C DOMINANT 7TH
C DOMINANT 7TH b5
Pro Tip1 - Try arpeggiating the dominant 7th b5 chord notes to get a better feel for the dynamics of this chord
Dominant 7th #5 Chord
The dominant 7th #5 chord is a very common altered chord and which can be substituted for a normal dominant chord. To construct a dominant 7th #5 chord, we start with a dominant 7th chord (1-3-5-b7 or C-E-G-Bb) and we again just make one adjustment to the 5th note, this time raising it up by a half step to the #5 (from G to G#).
The dominant 7th #5 chord has a strong jazz-like sound which is why it is normally a good substitute for a standard dominant chord, provided that this jazzy sound fits into the overall context of what you are playing.
C DOMINANT 7TH
C DOMINANT 7TH #5
Pro Tip1 - Try playing this chord with a tritone substitution for some extra flavor e.g. Gb Bb - C E G# C
Dominant 7th b9 Chord
The dominant 7th b9 chord is another very popular altered chord. To construct this chord, we again start with a standard dominant 7th chord (1-3-5-b7 or C-E-G-Bb) and to this, we add the b9 note. To do this, we count up to the 9th note of the major scale and then we flatten it to create our dominant 7th b9 chord (see diagram below).
Because of the way this chord is structured, it is particularly useful when playing in minor keys or in helping to get us into minor chords but it can also be resolved into major chords as well. For example, we could play a dominant 11th chord into a dominant b9 chord and then resolve this into a 1 major chord.
C MAJOR SCALE (+ EXTENSIONS)
C DOMINANT 7TH b9
Pro Tip1 - You can think about this chord as being an E diminished 7th chord over a C bass note. Pro Tip2 - Try playing around with arpeggiating this chord as a melodic passing sequence into a minor chord
Dominant 7th #9 Chord
The dominant 7th #9 chord is another common altered dominant chord. To construct this chord, we again start with a dominant 7th chord (1-3-5-b7 or C-E-G-Bb) and we add the #9 note, which in this case is a D#. The dominant 7th #9 chord is most commonly used when playing in minor keys or to help us get into minor piano chords. In this way, it can be another good substitution option for a standard dominant chord, as it can offer us some added sound variety.
C MAJOR SCALE (+ EXTENSIONS)
C DOMINANT 7TH #9
Dominant 7th #11 Chord
The dominant 7th chord #11 is another very common chord that can help to offer us more harmonic depth. As the name implies, this chord is constructed with a dominant 7th chord (1-3-5-b7 or C-E-G-Bb) and we then add in the #11 (F#) to create this very unique sound. Note here that it is quite common to omit the 5th note when playing this chord.
For those who are paying close attention, you may have noticed that the #11 note that we are adding here (F#) is actually the same note that we added to our dominant 7th b5 chord. This #11 note (or b5) creates a lydian sound, noting that this #11 note is non-diatonic, meaning that this #11 / b5 note is not included in the major scale.
C MAJOR SCALE (+ EXTENSIONS)
C DOMINANT 7TH #11
Pro Tip - When playing a 251, try using an arpeggio approach with the #11 note as a nice melodic passing note.
Dominant 13th #11 Chord
The dominant 13th #11 chord can help to add another layer of harmonic complexity to the dominant 7th #11 chord which can help to offer a more rich & jazz-like sound. In theory, the chord is made up of the 1-3-5-b7-9-#11-13 (C-E-G-Bb-D-F#-A) but in practice, it is quite common to omit the 5th note from this chord.
There are many different uses for the dominant 13th #11 chord. For example, we can use this chord in minor keys, or for helping us to transition into minor chords, and we can also use this in a variety of 251 / 514 passing chord movements.
C DOMINANT 13TH #11
C DOMINANT 13TH #11
Pro Tip - You can think about this chord as being a D major triad over a C dominant 7th chord.
Dominant 7th #5 #9 Chord
The dominant 7th #5 #9 chord is another very common altered dominant chord. Like the other altered chords, it is normally easiest to start with a standard dominant 7th chord (1-3-5-b7 or C-E-G-Bb) and then from here, we make 2 alterations. First, we change the 5th note (G) to a #5 note (G#) and secondly, we add the #9 note (D#).
With two alterations, the dominant 7th #5#9 chord helps to add some extra tension, whilst offering us another very unique sound. This chord is very commonly used to help us transition into minor chords so for example, you will commonly see this altered chord being played in a 736 or 362 passing chord sequence.
C MAJOR SCALE (+ EXTENSIONS)
C DOMINANT 7TH #5 #9
Pro Tip - A simple 736 option would be to play a 7 minor b5 chord + 3 dominant 7th #5#9 chord -> 6 minor 11th chord.
Dominant 7th b5 b9 Chord
The dominant b5 b9 chord is another 2 note alteration chord that can help to offer us a very nice sound, when it is played with a nice chord voicing. This chord is made up of the 1-3-b5-b7-b9 notes of the major scale but it can often be easier to think of this chord as being a 1-3 (C-E) plus a major triad which is a tritone above (Gb-Bb-Db).
Most commonly, the dominant b5 b9 chord is used in minor keys or as a passing chord into minor chords and it helps to provide a very lush and sophisticated sound (when it is voiced nicely and when it is played with good voice leading).
C MAJOR SCALE (+ EXTENSIONS)
C DOMINANT 7TH b5 b9
Good voice leading is key!
Like all advanced chords, there are a plethora of different chord voicing options that we can explore for altered chords. And in addition to this, there are also many different chord voicings for our major and minor chord resolutions.