Diminished (half–whole) · C · Guitar
The C Dim. H–W scale is C D♭ E♭ E G♭ G A B♭ — formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, step pattern H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W. Use it over C7♭9: it is the scale for dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale. Below, every note is marked on the fretboard in standard tuning; press play to hear it on a synthesized guitar while each note lights up, or tap any fret to sound that note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play runs the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes in the position starting at fret 8. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) | H |
| ♭2 | D♭ | minor 2nd (1 semitones) | W |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | H |
| 3 | E | major 3rd (4 semitones) | W |
| ♯4 | G♭ | tritone (6 semitones) | H |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | A | major 6th (9 semitones) | H |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: C7♭9 (C – E♭ – G♭ – A). Use it for: dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale.
Common questions
C D♭ E♭ E G♭ G A B♭. As scale degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7. It has 8 notes.
C Dim. H–W fits C7♭9 and, more generally, dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale.
1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 — the step pattern from the root is H W H W H W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Start on the root C on the low E string at fret 8, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 8, E-string fret 9, E-string fret 11, E-string fret 12, A-string fret 9, A-string fret 10, A-string fret 12, D-string fret 8, D-string fret 10. Every C on the neck is a root, so the same shape works in every position where the notes are marked.
Keep going
Same scale on piano · all Dim. H–W pages: Diminished (half–whole) hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from C