Which Jazz Scales Should I Play Over Chords?

If you want to play improvised solos in jazz, you need to know which scales to play from.

In this article I’ll show you the different scales you can play for each type of 7th chord.

Major 7 Scales

The major 7 chord is built from the major scale’s root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. That means it has a root, a major 3rd (E), 5th (G), and a major 7th (B).

This means that any scales you play need to agree on these four notes (‘the chord tones’) - otherwise your scale will clash.

Scales you can play over C major 7:

C major scale - C D E F G A B - however most jazz musicians consider the 4th (F) to be an ‘avoid note’ - since it sounds slightly dissonant when played over the E below. It’s quite common for improvisers to skip over the 4th in their lines, although you can still play it.
C lydian scale - C D E F# G A B. This is my ‘go-to’ scale for major 7 chords. The lydian scale is a major scale with a #4 - and this time, the sharp 4th is not an avoid note - F# does not clash with the chord below. The sharp 4th also adds an interesting tonal color to your playing (which means it sounds interesting and sophisticated).
C major blues scale - C D Eb E G A. You can also play the blues scale over major 7 chords, which is basically a major pentatonic scale (C D E G A) but with the addition of the ‘blue note’ (Eb). Usually the blue note is used as a grace note, to briefly precede the 2nd or 3rd (D or E). It’s fairly uncommon to hear a pianist land on the blue note and sustain it for any length of time.

All of the above scales ‘work’ over C major 7 because they fit with the chord’s root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th - C E G B.

The major 7 scales above can also be played over a C major 6 chord (C E G A) - which is practically the same chord, it just has a 6th instead of the 7th.

Minor 7 Scales

The minor 7 chord is built from minor scale’s root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. That means it has a root, a minor 3rd (Eb), 5th (G), and a minor 7th (Bb).

Any scale you play over a minor 7 chord needs to agree on these four chord tones - otherwise your scale will clash.

Scales you can play over C minor 7:

C natural minor scale - C D Eb F G Ab Bb - however most jazz musicians consider the 6th (Ab) to be an ‘avoid note’ - since it sounds a bit dark and lifeless.
C dorian scale - C D Eb F G A Bb. This is my ‘go-to’ scale for minor 7 chords. I like the dorian scale because it doesn’t have any avoid notes, and the major 6th (A) sounds more optimistic than a minor 6th (Ab) in your solos. The major 6th is more inline with the sound of jazz, and for that reason, most jazz musicians play the dorian scale over minor 7 chords.
C minor blues scale - C Eb F Gb G Bb. You can also play the blues scale over minor 7 chords, which is basically a minor pentatonic scale (C Eb F G Bb) but with the addition of the ‘blue note’ (Gb). Again, the blue note is normally used as a grace note, to briefly precede the 4th or 5th (F or G).

All of the above scales sound good over C minor 7 because they fit with the chord’s root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th - C Eb G Bb.

Want to download my top improvisation lines for jazz piano? I’ve put together some free sheet music that notates my favorite lines for a ii-V-I.
Click hereto download the Jazz Tutorial Improvisation Cheat Sheet (free).

Dominant 7 Scales

Dominant 7 chords have the most options when it comes to jazz scales, and jazz musicians will play lots of altered notes over V7 chords - like the b9, #9, #11, b13.

The dominant 7 chord (written ‘V7’) is built from the 5th note of the major scale (so G7 is built from the notes of C major scale). That means it has a root, major 3rd (E), 5th (G), and minor 7th (Bb).

Any scale you play over a V7 chord needs to agree on these four chord tones - otherwise it will clash with the chord.

Scales you can play over C7:

C mixolydian scale - C D E F G A Bb - however this scale is a bit basic, it doesn’t have any altered notes so most jazz musicians will play more exotic scales.
C lydian-dominant scale - C D E F# G A Bb. This is my ‘go-to’ scale for V7 chords, but only when it’s in the context of a major ii-V-I (most ii-V-Is in jazz are the major ii-V-I, so this is usually the scale I play). In the context of a minor ii-V-I I would play the altered scale, or diminished scale instead. The lydian-dominant scale is the mixolydian scale with a #4 (F#). The #4 (or #11) adds a very classy color to your solos, and I like to aim for this note when playing over a V7 chord.
C altered scale - C Eb Eb E Gb Ab Bb. The most complex scale there could be, in that it contains every altered extension possible (9 11 13). It has a b9, #9, #11, and b13 (Db, Eb, F#, Ab). - as well as the natural root, 3rd and 7th that are needed to function as a V7 chord. The simple way to remember the altered scale is as the melodic minor scale built from the flat 2nd (Db). So over C7, you would play Db melodic minor scale - which is a normal minor scale up to the 5th (Db Eb Fb Gb Ab) but then with a major 6th and 7th (Bb and C). The altered scale is my ‘go-to’ V7 scale within the context of a MINOR ii-V-I (e.g. Dø - G7 - Cm7):

IMAGE - altered scale lick in action over Dø - G7 - Cm7

C diminished scale - C Db Eb E F# G A Bb. This is a lovely 8 note scale (quite similar to the altered scale) which follows a repeating pattern: half-step - whole-step - half-step - whole-step, etc. The diminished scale contains three altered notes - b9, #9, #11 (Db, Eb, F#). I also like to play the diminished scale in the context of a minor ii-V-I (e.g. Dø - G7 - Cm7):

IMAGE - diminished scale lick in action over Dø - G7 - Cm7

Hybrid blues scale - C D Eb E F# G A Bb. This is a very interesting scale - it’s a combination (or ‘hybrid’) of the two blues scales (major and minor). C major blues scale = C D Eb E G A, plus C minor blues scale = C Eb F Gb G Bb.

IMAGE - C hybrid blues scale over C7

The hybrid blues scale creates a warm, yet bluesy type of sound. It has two blue notes in it (Eb and Gb), and you can use these as grace notes to precede either of their surrounding notes (D and E, or F and G).

All of the above scales ‘work’ over C7 because they fit with the chord’s root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th - C E G Bb.

Half-Diminished Scales

The half-diminished chord (written ‘Cø’, or ‘C min 7 b5’) is a minor 7 chord with a flat 5. You’ll encounter it as the ii chord of a minor ii-V-I (e.g. Dø - G7 - Cm7).

Scales you can play over Cø (C Eb Gb Bb):

C locrian scale - C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb. Many jazz musicians play the locrian scale over half-diminished chords. It’s a standard sound.
C half-diminished scale - C D Eb F Gb Ab Bb. This is my personal favorite when soloing over a half-diminished chord. You can also think of this scale as a melodic minor scale built from the chord’s 3rd (so C half-diminished scale is also Eb melodic minor scale = Eb F Gb Ab Bb C D).

Both scales work over Cø because they match the chord’s ‘chord tones’ - C Eb Gb Bb.

TIP: If you find half-diminished chords intimidating - you can simplify the scale you use and just play from the four chord tones (C, Eb, Gb, Bb). Most half-diminished chords only last two beats anyway (or occasionally four beats) - so you don’t necessarily need a 7 note scale to play from.

Diminished 7 Scales

The diminished 7 chord (written ‘Co7’) is a stack of minor 3rds. C diminished 7 = C Eb Gb Bbb (A). Diminished 7 chords are somewhat rare, and they’re usually only played for two beats.

Scales you can play over Co7 (C Eb Gb A):

C diminished scale (the ‘whole-half’ version) - C D Eb F Gb Ab A B.

IMAGE - diminished scale over C dim 7 - C D Eb F Gb Ab A B

IMPORTANT: Note that there are two types of diminished scale - both scales follow an alternating half-step / whole-step pattern. However one starts with a half-step (and then a whole-step) - whereas the other starts with whole-step (and then half-step).

Earlier we looked at the diminished scale played over a V7 chord - which is different. For V7 chords you would play the ‘half-step - whole-step diminished scale’ (C Db Eb E F# G A Bb).

But for diminished 7 chords - you would play the ‘whole-step - half-step diminished scale’ (C D Eb F Gb Ab A B).

The way I remember the diminished scale (for dim 7 chords) is to find the chord’s chord tones first (1 3 5 7). Then add a whole-step above each note.

Now if you find the diminished scale too intimidating - you can always reduce the notes you play from down to the four chord tones (C, Eb, Gb, A).

Minor-major 7 Scales

Finally, let’s look at the minor-major 7 chord (written ‘C-Δ’).The minor-major 7 chord is a minor chord with a major 7 - so C min Δ = C Eb G B.

Scales you can play over C min Δ (C Eb G B):

C melodic minor scale - C D Eb F G A B. The melodic minor scale has a classy ‘film noir’ type of sound.

This scale works over C min Δ because it fits with the chord’s chord tones (1 3 5 7) - C Eb G B.

You can also play the melodic minor scale over minor 6 chords (C min 6 = C Eb G A) - again because the scale matches with the chord’s notes.

Practice Tip

Play each of the chords we’ve looked at (one at a time) in your left hand. In your right hand, play up and down the scales that I’ve outlined (or at least choose one scale that you like best).

Next, choose a song in your real book and play through the chords in your left hand. In your right hand, play up and down the correct scale (this will train you to build these scales from a range of notes).

The Improvisation Cheat Sheet

I’ve notated some of my favorite improvised lines to demonstrate these techniques in action. Add these lines to your playing, and use them to get fresh ideas and inspiration.
Click here to download the Jazz Tutorial Improvisation cheat sheet (free).

Free Jazz Piano Resources

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About the Author

Julian Bradley is a jazz pianist and music educator from the U.K. He has a masters degree in music from Bristol University, and has played with and composed for a variety of big bands.
Julian runs the popular Jazz Tutorial YouTube channel and writes educational jazz lessons at JazzTutorial.com