Guitar UpscaleDiminished (Half Whole) scale on guitar
The half whole diminished scale alternates half and whole steps, the jazz scale for dominant 7th chords with a flat 9th.
Also listed in the app as Octatonic Scale.
| Notes in A | A Bb B# C# D# E F# G |
|---|---|
| Formula | 1 b2 #2 3 #4 5 6 b7 |
| Steps | H W H W H W H W (W whole step, H half step) |
| Note count | 8 |
| Style in the app | Special, scale "Diminished Half" |
Play the A Diminished scale on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale
About the Diminished (Half Whole) scale
It steps half, whole, half, whole to the octave. It is the whole half diminished scale started one note later.
It holds the 3rd, 5th and flat 7th of a dominant chord, plus the flat 9th, sharp 9th and sharp 11th. Jazz players use it over 7b9 chords.
Like all diminished scales, its shape repeats every three frets.
Intervals from the root
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | In A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A |
| b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 | Bb |
| #2 | Minor 3rd | 3 | B# |
| 3 | Major 3rd | 4 | C# |
| #4 | Tritone | 6 | D# |
| 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 | E |
| 6 | Major 6th | 9 | F# |
| b7 | Minor 7th | 10 | G |
Same notes, another starting note
Start the A Diminished scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:
- From degree b2 (Bb): Bb Diminished scale
- From degree 3 (C#): C# Diminished scale
- From degree 5 (E): E Diminished scale
- From degree b7 (G): G Diminished scale
Diminished scale in every key
| Key | Notes | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C Db D# E F# G A Bb | Open |
| C# | C# D E E# G G# A# B | Open |
| D | D Eb E# F# G# A B C | Open |
| Eb | Eb Fb F# G A Bb C Db | Open |
| E | E F G G# A# B C# D | Open |
| F | F Gb G# A B C D Eb | Open |
| F# | F# G A A# B# C# D# E | Open |
| G | G Ab A# B C# D E F | Open |
| G# | G# A B B# D D# E# F# | Open |
| A | A Bb B# C# D# E F# G | Open |
| Bb | Bb Cb C# D E F G Ab | Open |
| B | B C D D# E# F# G# A | Open |
More Special scales
- Chromatic Scale
- Whole Tone Scale
- Leading Whole Tone
- Diminished (Whole Half)
- Diminished Whole Tone
- Octatonic Scale
- Augmented Scale
- Enigmatic Scale
- Nine Tone Scale
- Overtone (Lydian Dominant)
- Six Tone Symmetrical
- Altered Scale (Super Locrian)
- Lydian Diminished
- Lydian #2
- Locrian #2 (Half Diminished)
- Locrian Natural 6
- Ultralocrian
- Ionian #5
- Ten Tone Dominant
- Ten Tone Harmonic
- Ten Tone Minor