Guitar scale · diminished scale
C# Whole-Half Diminished Scale
8-note symmetrical scale of alternating whole and half steps: the scale that fits a diminished 7th chord.
Notes C#D#EF#GAA#B#
Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7
Steps W H W H W H W H
Mood Symmetrical, Unstable, Tense
Heard in Jazz, Classical, Film Scores
STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E
Tap any note to hear it.
C# 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|----------------------------------------------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|-------------------------------------------------11-12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------------13-14-------------| G|-------------------------------11-12-14-15-------------------| D|----------------------11-13-14-------------------------------| A|-------------12-13-15----------------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-15-------------------------------------------------|
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|-------------------------------------------------17-18-20-| B|----------------------------------------17-19-20----------| G|-------------------------------17-18-20-------------------| D|-------------------16-17-19-20----------------------------| A|----------16-18-19----------------------------------------| E|-17-18-20-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|----------------------------------------19-20-22----------| G|-------------------------------18-20-21-------------------| D|----------------------19-20-22----------------------------| A|----------18-19-21-22-------------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Whole-Half Diminished on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C# 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 9–13. 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 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| ♭3 | E |
| 4 | F# |
| ♭5 | G |
| ♭6 | A |
| 6 | A# |
| 7 | B# |
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Whole-Half Diminished Scale?
- The C# Whole-Half Diminished Scale has 8 notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G, A, A#, B#.
- 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 C# Whole-Half Diminished on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.
Whole-Half Diminished Scale in every key
More scales in C#
C# Major C# Minor C# Minor Pentatonic C# Major Pentatonic C# Blues C# Major Blues C# Dorian C# Phrygian C# Lydian C# Mixolydian C# Locrian C# Harmonic Minor C# Phrygian Dominant C# Melodic Minor C# Lydian Dominant C# Lydian Augmented C# Altered C# Whole Tone C# Half-Whole Diminished C# Bebop Dominant C# Hungarian Minor C# Dorian b2 C# Mixolydian b6 C# Locrian Natural 2 C# Locrian Natural 6 C# Ionian #5 C# Ukrainian Dorian C# Lydian #2 C# Ultralocrian C# Harmonic Major C# Dorian b5 C# Lydian b3 C# Double Harmonic Major C# Oriental C# Neapolitan Minor C# Neapolitan Major C# Augmented C# Bebop Major C# Bebop Dorian C# Yo C# Hirajoshi C# In C# In Sen C# Iwato C# Phrygian b4 C# Mixolydian b2 C# Lydian Augmented #2 C# Locrian bb7 C# Lydian #2 #6 C# Ultraphrygian C# Ionian Augmented #2 C# Locrian bb3 bb7 C# Leading Whole Tone C# Major Locrian C# Lydian Dominant b6 C# Hungarian Major C# Persian C# Enigmatic C# Prometheus C# Tritone C# Bebop Melodic Minor C# Bebop Harmonic Minor C# Egyptian Pentatonic C# Man Gong