Diminished (half–whole) · F · Piano
The F Dim. H–W scale is F G♭ A♭ A B C D E♭ — formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, step pattern H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W. Use it over F7♭9: it is the scale for dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale. Below, every note is marked on the two-octave keyboard; press play to hear it on a synthesized piano while each note lights up, or tap any key to sound that note.
Visualizer
Piano
Guitar · standard tuning
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play runs the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes. “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 F | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | unison (0 semitones) | H |
| ♭2 | G♭ | minor 2nd (1 semitones) | W |
| ♭3 | A♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | H |
| 3 | A | major 3rd (4 semitones) | W |
| ♯4 | B | tritone (6 semitones) | H |
| 5 | C | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | D | major 6th (9 semitones) | H |
| ♭7 | E♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: F7♭9 (F – A♭ – B – D). Use it for: dominant 7♭9 and 13♭9 chords — the ‘dominant diminished’ scale.
Common questions
F G♭ A♭ A B C D E♭. As scale degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7. It has 8 notes.
F Dim. H–W fits F7♭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).
Play F G♭ A♭ A B C D E♭ F ascending from the root, then descend. The keyboard above shows every root in gold, chord tones outlined in amber and the remaining scale tones in teal; use the Play button to hear the fingering tempo.
Keep going
Same scale on guitar · all Dim. H–W pages: Diminished (half–whole) hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from F