Lesson 41 · All 12 keys

Altered Dominant Chord Trainer

Learn how a Altered Dominant chord is built one semitone-count at a time — an umbrella name for any dominant 7th chord voiced with altered upper tones (some mix of ♭5, ♯5, ♭9, ♯9) — this trainer voices the common ♯5/♯9 combination — then put it to work with three MIDI exercises: playing all 12 Altered Dominant chords around the circle of fourths, and 5 jazz plus 5 gospel chord progressions that show off its color, in every key.

How a Altered Dominant chord is built

A Altered Dominant chord — written 7alt (e.g. C7alt) — is a 5-note chord: an umbrella name for any dominant 7th chord voiced with altered upper tones (some mix of ♭5, ♯5, ♭9, ♯9) — this trainer voices the common ♯5/♯9 combination. Every 7alt chord — in any of the 12 keys — is built the exact same way, by counting semitones to the right from a root note:

  1. The starting note — this note names the chord.
  2. Count 4 semitones up from the root — the major 3rd.
  3. Count 4 more semitones up from the 3rd (8 semitones from the root, instead of the usual 3) — the ♯5th, a raised perfect 5th.
  4. Count 2 more semitones up from the ♯5th (10 semitones from the root) — the minor 7th.
  5. Count 5 more semitones up from the 7th (15 semitones from the root) — the ♯9th.
Example — B7alt: start on B, count 4 semitones right to reach D♯, 4 more (8 from the root) to reach G, 2 more to reach A, then 5 more to reach D (an octave and a minor 3rd above the root). B‑D♯‑G‑A‑D is one common voicing of the B7alt chord.
"Alt" is a catch-all label, not one fixed formula — a lead sheet marked C7alt leaves the exact mix of ♭5/♯5/♭9/♯9 up to the performer, as long as the perfect 5th and natural 9th are avoided. What every altered dominant shares is maximum tension: every available upper tone is bent away from its "plain" version, so the chord pulls as hard as possible toward its tonic — this is the chord jazz players reach for right before the biggest resolutions.

Try it: pick a root and build the chord step by step

Step 1 of 5
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Chord toneNoteSemitones from rootMIDI #

All 12 Altered Dominant chords at a glance

ChordRoot+4 semitones → Major 3rd+4 semitones → ♯5th+2 semitones → Minor 7th+5 semitones → ♯9th

This MIDI exercise plays all 12 Altered Dominant chords, one after another, moving around the circle of fourths — each chord's root sits a perfect 4th (5 semitones) above the last one: C → F → B♭ → E♭ → A♭ → D♭ → G♭/F♯ → B → E → A → D → G → back to C. Every chord is played as a full 5-note Altered Dominant chord (root, major 3rd, ♯5th, minor 7th, ♯9th together).

Chord 1 of 12
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The 12 chords, in circle-of-fourths order

#ChordRootMajor 3rd♯5thMinor 7th♯9th

Five jazz chord progressions built around the Altered Dominant chord. Pick a progression and play it in one key or cycle through all 12.

Key of C
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Progression in C

DegreeChordNotes

Five gospel chord progressions built around the Altered Dominant chord. Pick a progression and play it in one key or cycle through all 12.

Key of C
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Progression in C

DegreeChordNotes