Guitar scale · diminished scale
Bb Whole-Half Diminished Scale
8-note symmetrical scale of alternating whole and half steps: the scale that fits a diminished 7th chord.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Whole-Half 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|------------------------------------6-8-9-| B|-----------------------------7-8-10-------| G|-----------------------6-8-9--------------| D|----------------7-8-10--------------------| A|-------6-7-9-10---------------------------| E|-6-8-9------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------8-9-11-12-| B|-------------------------------------10-11-----------| G|---------------------------8-9-11-12-----------------| D|-------------------8-10-11---------------------------| A|-----------9-10-12-----------------------------------| E|-8-9-11-12-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|----------------------------------------11-13-14----------| G|-------------------------------11-12-14-------------------| D|-------------------10-11-13-14----------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------14-15-17-| B|----------------------------------------14-16-17----------| G|-------------------------------14-15-17-------------------| D|-------------------13-14-16-17----------------------------| A|----------13-15-16----------------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|----------------------------------------16-17-19----------| G|-------------------------------15-17-18-------------------| D|----------------------16-17-19----------------------------| A|----------15-16-18-19-------------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Whole-Half Diminished on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, ♭5, 6), 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 6–10. 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 | Bb |
| 2 | C |
| ♭3 | Db |
| 4 | Eb |
| ♭5 | Fb |
| ♭6 | Gb |
| 6 | G |
| 7 | A |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Whole-Half Diminished Scale?
- The Bb Whole-Half Diminished Scale has 8 notes: Bb, C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, G, A.
- What is the formula of the whole-half diminished scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7, which is the step pattern W H W H W H W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Whole-Half Diminished on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.