STRINGSCALES

A half-whole diminished Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F#, G, A, Bb, C, C#, D#, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

A string: A, Bb, C, C#, D#, E, F#, G, A at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

D string: D#, E, F#, G, A, Bb, C, C# at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

G string: G, A, Bb, C, C#, D#, E, F#, G at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

B string: C, C#, D#, E, F#, G, A, Bb at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

High E string: E, F#, G, A, Bb, C, C#, D#, E at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

Pick a root note

Pick a scale

A half-whole diminished

The half-whole diminished scale alternates half and whole steps through eight notes, and is jazz's standard sound over a 13b9 dominant chord: it contains the b9, #9, #11, natural 13 and both chord 3rd and 7th. Because it repeats every minor 3rd, one fingering transposes in minor-3rd jumps, and the same notes serve four different dominant chords.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A

I

B♭

bII

C

bIII

C♯

III

D♯

#IV

E

V

F♯

VI

G

bVII

Same notes, different mode

A half-whole diminished uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

Bb diminishedC# diminishedE diminishedG diminished

half whole diminished in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Play A half-whole diminished over a A13b9 dominant chord; it contains the b9 (Bb), #9 (C), natural 13 (F#) and both guide tones.
  • Its minor-3rd symmetry means one lick serves four dominant chords: transpose in three-fret jumps.
  • Build lines from the two diminished 7th arpeggios interlocked inside the scale, then resolve to the I chord a 4th up from A.
  • Try the classic pattern: half step up, minor 3rd down, repeated through the scale for an instant jazz-fusion sequence.

How to play A half-whole diminished on guitar

Open A is a root, both open E strings give the fifth and open G adds the minor seventh, so four strings are live before you fret. Fretted roots repeat at the 5th fret on both E strings, the 7th on the D and the 2nd on the G. One fingering spans C, Eb and Gb at three, six and nine semitones, so four tonics come from a single box. Root box gives way at fret 9.

homeall scalesaboutfaqpricingmicrotonalterms & conditionsprivacy policycookie policy© 2026 StringScales. All rights reserved.