STRINGSCALES

F half-whole diminished Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, Gb, Ab, A, B, C, D, Eb at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

A string: A, B, C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

D string: D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A, B, C, D at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

G string: Ab, A, B, C, D, Eb, F, Gb at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

B string: B, C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A, B at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

High E string: F, Gb, Ab, A, B, C, D, Eb at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

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F 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:

F

I

G♭

bII

A♭

bIII

A

III

B

#IV

C

V

D

VI

E♭

bVII

Same notes, different mode

F 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.

Gb diminishedA diminishedC diminishedEb diminished

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

tip
  • Play F half-whole diminished over a F13b9 dominant chord; it contains the b9 (Gb), #9 (G#), natural 13 (D) 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 F.
  • Try the classic pattern: half step up, minor 3rd down, repeated through the scale for an instant jazz-fusion sequence.

How to play F half-whole diminished on guitar

Lowest root sits at fret 1 on the low E string, which means the shape starts within a fret of the nut. Roots continue at fret 8 on the A string, fret 3 on the D string, fret 6 on the B string. Open A, D and B carry scale tones at a major third, major sixth and augmented fourth, so none of them is a drone you want under the box. Capo fret 1 turns this into E half-whole.

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