C7alt Dominant 7th
The C7alt chord is built from the notes C – E – Gb – Bb – Db – F# – Ab – Db – D#.
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Chord tones, one by one
Root
The fundamental note the chord is built on — C.
Major third
Four semitones — makes the chord major (brighter, happier).
Diminished fifth (♭5)
Six semitones — a flat fifth. Creates instability, typical of m7♭5 and diminished chords.
Minor seventh (♭7)
Ten semitones — the dominant/minor seventh. Adds bluesy tension (7, m7).
Flat ninth (♭9)
A ♭9 — sharp, dissonant tension typical of altered dominant chords.
Sharp eleventh (♯11)
A ♯11 — the bright, floating Lydian color.
Flat thirteenth (♭13)
A ♭13 — dark altered tension over a dominant chord.
Flat ninth (♭9)
A ♭9 — sharp, dissonant tension typical of altered dominant chords.
Sharp ninth (♯9)
A ♯9 — the gritty 'Hendrix' tension over a dominant chord.
🎼 Related scales
🎹 Modal analysis
This chord implies the Altered (super-Locrian) scale; its characteristic note is the ♭13, a dominant's maximum tension. It is a mode of the melodic minor a semitone above.
🎸 Genres
Modern jazz · Post-bop · Fusion