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F minor six diminished Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12

A string: Bb, C, Db, D, E, F, G, Ab at frets 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11

D string: D, E, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

G string: G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, D, E, F, G at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

B string: C, Db, D, E, F, G, Ab, Bb at frets 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11

High E string: E, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12

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F minor six diminished

The minor six diminished scale is Barry Harris's minor sixth diminished scale: a minor 6th chord and a diminished 7th chord interleaved, eight notes alternating chord and tension. Run it and every other note forms the m6 chord, the engine of his harmonic system. It turns a static minor chord into continuous internal motion.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

F

I

G

II

A♭

bIII

B♭

IV

C

V

D♭

bVI

D

VI

E

VII

minor six diminished in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • This is Barry Harris's minor sixth diminished scale: alternate the Fm6 chord tones with the diminished tones as you climb, chord-tone on the beat.
  • Harmonize every scale step as either the m6 chord or the diminished 7th; that alternation is instant movement over a static minor chord.
  • Use both 6ths deliberately: natural 6th (D) belongs to the m6 sound, flat 6th (Db) to the diminished layer passing between V and VI.
  • Over a minor ii-V-i in F minor, this single scale supplies voice-led chords for the whole bar of tonic minor.

How to play F minor six diminished on guitar

Roots sit at fret 1 on both E strings, so the E-shape barre is available almost at the nut. Both E strings sound the major seventh open, with open D a sixth and open G the second. None of those is the tonic, so they colour a line rather than ground it. Higher roots wait at 8 and 10. Fret 5 hands over to the next position, which means an early move up the neck.

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