Guitar scale · diminished scale
D 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.
D 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|-------------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|----------------------------------------11-12-14----------| G|-------------------------------10-12-13-------------------| D|----------------------11-12-14----------------------------| A|----------10-11-13-14-------------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------12-13-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------------14-15-------------| G|-------------------------------12-13-15-16-------------------| D|----------------------12-14-15-------------------------------| A|-------------13-14-16----------------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-16-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------15-16-18-| B|----------------------------------------15-17-18----------| G|-------------------------------15-16-18-------------------| D|-------------------14-15-17-18----------------------------| A|----------14-16-17----------------------------------------| E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------18-19-21-| B|----------------------------------------18-20-21----------| G|-------------------------------18-19-21-------------------| D|-------------------17-18-20-21----------------------------| A|----------17-19-20----------------------------------------| E|-18-19-21-------------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|----------------------------------20-21----------| G|-------------------------19-21-22----------------| D|-------------------20-21-------------------------| A|----------19-20-22-------------------------------| E|-19-21-22----------------------------------------|
How to play D Whole-Half Diminished on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| 2 | E |
| ♭3 | F |
| 4 | G |
| ♭5 | Ab |
| ♭6 | Bb |
| 6 | B |
| 7 | C# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Whole-Half Diminished anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the D Whole-Half Diminished Scale?
- The D Whole-Half Diminished Scale has 8 notes: D, E, F, G, Ab, Bb, B, C#.
- 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 D Whole-Half Diminished on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.