Guitar scale · dominant diminished, diminished scale
A Half-Whole Diminished Scale
8-note symmetrical scale used over dominant 7th chords for tension and outside soloing.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Half-Whole Diminished Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|---------------------------------5-6-8-9-| B|-----------------------------7-8---------| G|---------------------5-6-8-9-------------| D|---------------5-7-8---------------------| A|---------6-7-9---------------------------| E|-5-6-8-9---------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------8-9-11-| B|--------------------------------8-10-11--------| G|-------------------------8-9-11----------------| D|---------------7-8-10-11-----------------------| A|--------7-9-10---------------------------------| E|-8-9-11----------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|-------------------------------------10-11-13---------| G|-----------------------------9-11-12------------------| D|--------------------10-11-13--------------------------| A|---------9-10-12-13-----------------------------------| E|-9-11-12----------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|----------------------------------------13-14-16----------| G|-------------------------------12-14-15-------------------| D|----------------------13-14-16----------------------------| A|----------12-13-15-16-------------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------14-15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------------16-17-------------| G|-------------------------------14-15-17-18-------------------| D|----------------------14-16-17-------------------------------| A|-------------15-16-18----------------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-18-------------------------------------------------|
How to play A Half-Whole Diminished on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| ♭9 | Bb |
| ♯9 | B# |
| 3 | C# |
| ♯4 | D# |
| 5 | E |
| 6 | F# |
| ♭7 | G |
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Half-Whole Diminished Scale?
- The A Half-Whole Diminished Scale has 8 notes: A, Bb, B#, C#, D#, E, F#, G.
- What is the formula of the half-whole diminished scale?
- 1 ♭9 ♯9 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W H W H W H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Half-Whole Diminished on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.